COLLETON COUNTY, S.C. – A woman is in critical condition after her single-engine plane crashed on Tuesday morning in Colleton County, according to the Colleton County Fire-Rescue. The incident occurred in a remote rural area approximately five miles south of ACE Basin Parkway.
The plane crashed into a private property in the 5000 block of Wiggins Road at 11:34 a.m. The property owner, who was in his yard at the time, reported that the engine was not running when the plane struck several trees and eventually nose-dived into a small pond. The woman, who was found unconscious in the plane, had suffered multiple injuries. The plane’s wing was ripped off the fuselage, causing fuel to spill into the water.
Rescue crews arrived 15 minutes after the crash and the woman was transported to the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) in Charleston. Officials reported that the plane had recently taken off from Beaufort when it experienced mechanical problems, prompting it to turn back toward Beaufort. The Federal Aviation Administration is currently investigating the incident.
The crash site, described as “well off” the roadway, poses challenges for the ongoing investigation and recovery efforts. The extent of the woman’s injuries and the cause of the plane’s mechanical problems remain under scrutiny as authorities work to determine the sequence of events that led to the crash. The local community is providing support and assistance to the ongoing response efforts.