Three N.C. Residents Killed In S.C. Plane Crash

A funeral home owner from North Carolina, his wife, and their 4-year-old granddaughter suffered fatal personal injuries when their small plane crashed as they were returning from a vacation along the South Carolina coast, according to a July 15 statement from officials and a friend of the pilot.

According to Horry County Coroner Robert Edge, 54-year-old Danny Carroll, 66-year-old Rachel Carroll, and 4-year-old Mallory Fields died on the night of July 14 when their single engine plane crashed into a mobile home park in North Myrtle Beach.

Danny Carroll was piloting the craft. All three were killed instantly. Edge said that an autopsy would be conducted.

According to George Patterson, an employee of Whitley’s Funeral Home in Kannapolis, where the Carrols lived, said that Danny Carroll was taking the plane for a test flight to see if he wanted to purchase it.

North Myrtle Beach spokeswoman Nicole Aiello said that the family was vacationing along the Grand Strand and was leaving from Grand Strand Regional Airport to return to their home, which is about 25 miles northeast of Charlotte. The crash occurred at about 9 p.m.

Two people on the ground received transport to Grand Strand Regional Medical Center with minor injuries and a policeman received hospital transport for smoke inhalation.

According to Federal Aviation Administration records, the single-engine Piper PA-28 was registered to Concord resident Robert O’Neale III.