Fatal North Myrtle Beach plane crash draws national attention as victims remain unknown

Days after five people were killed in a single-engine plane crash near a North Myrtle Beach golf course, media attention has turned it into a national story.

“It’s definitely been a hot topic. We’ve gotten a bunch of emails, and I know that a lot of other news agencies are pretty much picking up what others have said,” North Myrtle Beach Police spokesman Officer Patrick Wilkinson said.

Since the July 2 crash, outlets including CNN, People Magazine and dozens of TV stations across the country, have linked to accounts of the incident that killed five people.

Dramatic video captured by witnesses and posted to Facebook have also garnered thousands of likes and shares.

Authorities have yet to release identities of those killed pending notification of family, but a preliminary report by the FAA said the single-engine Piper PA-32 crashed shortly after taking off from the Grand Strand Airport.

It went down into a wooded area along Pete Dye Road late Sunday morning in North Myrtle Beach — part of Barefoot Resort and Golf.

Wilkinson said the road reopened on July 4 after all debris had been removed. The crash investigation, he added, is not expected to be criminal in nature.

The aircraft was registered to Joseph Farnese of Little Falls, New Jersey, according to an NTSB search of its registration.

“There have been a lot of inquiries on it. I know a lot of people want to know who the victims are, and we’re still in the process of identifying a few of them,” Wilkinson said.