Special Forces commander at Fort Liberty among victims of First Flight plane crash
The commander of Special Forces based at Fort Liberty was one of the five people killed in the weekend crash of a single-engine plane at First Flight Airport at Wright Brothers National Memorial.
KCBD-TV in Lubbock, Texas, reported family members have confirmed that Lieutenant Colonel Jason Campbell, 45, was among the four adults and one child that died when a Cirrus SR22 went down in a densely-wooded area between the airport’s runway and Big Kill Devil Hill around 5:18 p.m. on Saturday.
Campbell had recently been promoted to commander of the outfit based at the Army base in Fayetteville, KCBD reports.
The identities of the other victims have not been released.
Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board arrived Sunday to begin their probe of what caused the crash.
The plane had been on a multi-leg flight that data from an online aircraft tracking app indicated started in Southern Pines, which is near Fort Liberty, flew to Ocracoke and Manteo, before making two attempts to land at First Flight Airport before the crash.
NTSB Aviation Accident Investigator Ryan Enders said at a news conference Sunday that a preliminary report will be released within the next two weeks, but it could take between nine and twelve months for a final report and probably cause to be determined.
Due to the crash, the National Park Service closed both the memorial and airport to all access until Tuesday.
