BEAUFORT, N.C. – A tragic plane crash off the coast of North Carolina in 2022 resulted in the loss of eight lives, including the pilot and four teenagers, according to a final report from federal investigators. The National Transportation Safety Board’s report, released nearly two years after the incident, revealed that the pilot of the single-engine Pilatus PC-12 was likely distracted while attempting to program the aircraft’s flight management system after takeoff. This distraction caused the pilot to fail to monitor the plane’s speed, leading to a stall and subsequent loss of control.

The plane had departed from Hyde County Airport and was en route to Beaufort when it crashed in the Atlantic Ocean near the Outer Banks. Six of the passengers were from coastal Carteret County, returning from a charity hunting event. The tragic incident deeply affected the communities of Carteret County, home to picturesque coastal towns and older fishing villages.

The adults on board the plane were identified as pilot Ernest Durwood Rawls, 67, of Greenville; Jeffrey Worthington Rawls, 28, of Greenville; Stephanie Ann McInnis Fulcher, 42, of Sea Level; and Douglas Hunter Parks, 45, of Sea Level. The four teenagers who lost their lives were Jonathan Kole McInnis, 15, of Sea Level; Noah Lee Styron, 15, of Cedar Island; Michael Daily Shepard, 15, of Atlantic; and Jacob Nolan Taylor, 16, of Atlantic, all students at East Carteret High School.

The final NTSB report emphasized that the pilot’s failure to enter a flight plan into the airplane’s integrated flight management system before takeoff was a critical factor in the crash. The report detailed the pilot’s attempt to program, delete, reprogram, and activate a flight plan into the airplane’s flight management system from shortly after takeoff until the final moments of the flight. Investigators also highlighted the impact of poor weather conditions, which limited the pilot’s visibility and led to spatial disorientation after the plane stalled.

Following the tragic incident, the estates of the pilot and the companies that employed him and owned the plane reached a $15 million settlement with the families of five passengers who had filed wrongful death lawsuits. The findings of the final report serve as a sobering reminder of the importance of thorough pre-flight preparations and attentive piloting to ensure the safety of all passengers and crew on board small aircraft.