- The single-engine plane crashed shortly after 10 a.m. Wednesday.
- Dr. Paul Chelminski was on board along with an as-yet-unidentified pilot.
- The two people have since been hospitalized following the incident.
A doctor and a pilot were rushed to the hospital after a medical plane crashed at Raleigh-Durham International Airport.
The single-engine plane crashed shortly after 10 a.m. Wednesday on a secondary runway near Terminal 1 at the North Carolina airport.
A ground stop was issued shortly after the medical plane crashed and was lifted an hour later, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
Dr. Paul Chelminski, an internal medicine physician at UNC Health, was on board along with the pilot, who has not yet been named.
Footage captured at the scene shows that the plane’s left side wing was torn off, while the nose was also severely damaged.
Images captured at the scene show that the plane’s left side wing has been torn off, while the nose has also been severely damaged.
Dr. Paul Chelminski, an internal medicine physician at UNC Health, was on board along with the pilot, who has not yet been named.
UNC Health said: ‘Dr. Chelminski was returning from Wilmington, where he gave a lecture to the medical staff at Novant Health New Hanover Reginal Medical Center.
A spokesperson added that Chelminski was in good condition at UNC Hospital in Chapel Hill, there was no update on the pilot who was taken to Duke University Hospital.
Radio traffic heard by WRAL He said: “Plane down with two injured, one trapped… rescue underway.”
Aviation expert Jim Crouse told the outlet: “It looks like a low-energy impact, which means it wasn’t a plane falling hard out of the sky.”
‘It seems to me that something happened during the approach or shortly after landing.
‘There is a strong vertical component to the wreckage of the plane, which means the engine has been dislodged. The wings appear to be damaged vertically as is the tail section.’
Crouse added that he believes the plane “bounced” off the runway or hit the air “substantially.”
He added: “It appears that whatever emergency occurred, the pilot did a good job responding.”
The plane is used as a transportation service through the company for medical residents, professors and other professionals to travel throughout the state. Dr. Chelminski is seen here on the right.
Aviation expert Jim Crouse told WRAL
Michael Landguth, president and CEO of the RDU Airport Authority, told reporters that the plane would remain in the grassy area until investigators can analyze the wreckage.
The plane is used as a transportation service through the company for medical residents, professors and other professionals to travel throughout the state.
Due to the incident, a ground stop was issued at the airport and all flight operations were closed.
Just over an hour after the incident, the ground stop was lifted and the airport continued operating.
Michael Landguth, president and CEO of the RDU Airport Authority, said during a news conference: “Our main focus when the accident occurred was the two people who were sitting on that plane, to make sure that we can get them to as safe a condition as possible. as quickly as possible. possibly we can.
“Second is trying to figure out how we recover and how to get our operations back up and running.”
Landguth also told reporters that the plane would remain in the grassy area until investigators can get to work and analyze the wreckage.