‘Something like a horror movie:’ One killed in plane crash, fire near Myrtle Beach
A plane crash in Horry County left one person dead Friday evening, according to the Horry County Coroner’s Office.
About 7:15 p.m., an hour after the crash, the remains of the small aircraft were still smoldering in a clearing off of Socastee Boulevard near Buck Hill Drive. Dozens of spectators were gathered in the parking lot of Thai Palms Restaurant.
Coroner Darris Fowler confirmed that one person was killed in the crash. The identity of the victim has not yet been released.
Patricia Hubbard, a server at Thai Palms, said she heard the crash and saw the subsequent explosion and fire.
“I was back in the kitchen and I heard a sound like a train and it . . . shook the whole building,” Hubbard said.
“I saw a pile of metal out in the field,” she said. “Five minutes later it burst into flames and it looked like the whole field caught on fire.”
Pat Bellamy’s house looks out onto the clearing where the plane’s remains lay in three pieces. She and her husband had just finished eating dinner when they heard a loud noise, “a noise I’ll never forget” that sounded nothing like a car accident.
“We looked outside the dining room window and saw the flame going down right there. It’s a straight shot from my window,” Bellamy said.
“There must have been at least 50 people out there trying to run to help if anybody needed help, and it exploded. And everybody just started screaming and running. The explosion was massive. I thought it was going to burn our motor home.”
Bellamy’s RV was parked just across from the police tape. The fire was put out within five minutes, Bellamy said.
“It shook our house. It was so loud,” she said. “It was something like a horror movie. It was awful.”
Bellamy said at one point she believed her house was going to catch fire.
“I have cried all afternoon. I never would have imagined I’d have to see something like this.”
This story was originally published May 21, 2021 at 7:28 PM.
