The NTSB is investigating the crash of a Beech Premier IA on Wednesday night as the pilot was attempting a go-around at Thomson-McDuffie Regional Airport (KHQU) near Augusta, Georgia. Five people died in the crash shortly after 8 p.m. and two others were taken to a hospital, according to officials.
NTSB board member Robert Sumwalt said the light business jet was on approach to KHQU’s Runway 10 when the pilot elected to abort the landing. During the go-around, the Premier struck the top of a 60-foot concrete utility pole about a quarter mile from the end of the runway. The left wing was sheared off and a fuel leak caused a fire, but the airplane was able to continue flying for another quarter mile before crashing in a wooded area.
The NTSB has dispatched a “Go Team” to the crash site. The jet, which was owned by a large Southern medical practice, had taken off from Nashville. According to the NTSB, a pilot and a passenger were taken to a local hospital.
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