Local

NC pilot, passenger identified after fatal plane crash into Lake Hickory 

The pilot and passenger of a single engine plane that crashed in Hickory have been identified.
The pilot and passenger of a single engine plane that crashed in Hickory have been identified. WSOC

The two men who were killed in a plane crash on Sunday in Hickory were identified Monday morning.

The pilot and passenger were killed when their single engine plane crashed into power lines and then into Hickory Lake in Catawba County. City officials said the crash happened around 11:30 a.m. and led to power outages that have since been fixed.

The North Carolina State Highway Patrol identified the pilot as Jeffrey Jay Cooley, 63, of Granite Falls, and said the passenger was Brian Frank Miller, 49, of Hickory.

The Federal Aviation Administration will investigate the crash alongside the National Transportation Safety Board.

The plane had taken off from Hickory Regional Airport.

Related Stories from Charlotte Observer
Profile Image of Kallie Cox
Kallie Cox
The Charlotte Observer
Kallie Cox covers public safety for The Charlotte Observer. They grew up in Springfield, Illinois and attended school at SIU Carbondale. They reported on police accountability and LGBTQ immigration barriers for the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting. And, they previously worked at The Southern Illinoisan before moving to Charlotte. Support my work with a digital subscription
Get unlimited digital access
#ReadLocal

Try 1 month for $1

CLAIM OFFER