Pilot, passenger killed after plane crashes into lake

HICKORY, N.C. (WBTV/Gray News) – The pilot and passenger of a small aircraft died after crashing into a lake Sunday morning, North Carolina State Highway Patrol officials confirmed.

According to troopers, a single-engine airplane hit powerlines and crashed into Lake Hickory shortly after taking off from the Hickory Regional Airport around 11:30 a.m.

Both the pilot and passenger died at the scene, troopers said.

They were later identified by the highway patrol as pilot Jeffrey Jay Cooley, 63, of Granite Falls, and passenger Brian Frank Miller, 49, of Hickory.

“Jeff was a very experienced pilot, a very capable pilot, and I have no doubt he was doing whatever he could do until the very end,” fellow pilot and friend Joe Brannock said.

Brannock said he believes the crash was caused by a medical or mechanical issue because the pilot flew around the lake several times before and was familiar with it.

The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating what led up to the crash.

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