- The single-engine plane crashed shortly after 10 a.m. Wednesday morning.
- Dr. Paul Chelminski was on board alongside an as-yet-unnamed pilot.
- Both individuals have since been hospitalized following the incident.
A doctor and pilot were rushed to hospital after a medical plane crashed at Raleigh-Durham International Airport.
The single-engine plane crashed shortly after 10 a.m. Wednesday morning on a secondary runway near Terminal 1 at the North Carolina airport.
A ground stop was ordered 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 alongside the pilot, who has not yet been named.
Footage captured at the scene shows the left wing of the plane was torn off, while the nose was also badly damaged.
Footage captured at the scene shows the left wing of the plane was torn off, while the nose was also badly damaged.
Dr. Paul Chelminski, an internal medicine physician at UNC Health, was on board alongside 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 said: “Small plane down with two injured, one trapped… extrication in progress.” »
Aviation expert Jim Crouse told the outlet: “It looks like a low energy impact, which means it wasn’t a plane that came out of the sky with force.”
“It appears to me that something happened during the approach or shortly after landing.
“The plane wreckage has a strong vertical component, meaning the engine is dislodged. The wings appear to be damaged vertically as well as the tail.
Crouse added that he believed the plane had “bounced” on the runway or “noticeably” hit the air.
He added: “It appears that whatever emergency occurred, the pilot did a good job responding to it.”
The aircraft is used as a transportation service through the company to allow medical residents, faculty and other professionals to travel throughout the state. Dr. Chelminski can be seen here on the right
Aviation expert Jim Crouse told WRAL
Michael Landguth, president and CEO of the RDU Airport Authority, told reporters the plane would remain in the grassy area until investigators could analyze the wreckage.
The aircraft is used as a transportation service through the company to allow medical residents, faculty and other professionals to travel throughout the state.
Due to the incident, a ground stop was made at the airport and all flight operations were closed.
A little over an hour after the incident, ground control was lifted and the airport continued to operate.
Michael Landguth, president and CEO of the RDU Airport Authority, said at a news conference: “Our main focus when this accident happened was the two people who were sitting on that plane, to make sure that we can get them to safety as quickly as possible. maybe we can.
“Secondly, we then try to understand how we can recover and get our operations back up and running.”
Landguth also told reporters the plane would remain in the grassy area until investigators could work and analyze the wreckage.
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