THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, August 14, 1996 TAG: 9608140364
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B5 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: ROANOKE LENGTH: 23 lines
A small airplane crashed into a mountain early Tuesday, killing the lone occupant, police said.
The plane struck McAfee's Knob, about three miles from Roanoke Regional Airport, Virginia State Police Lt. J.W. Snow said. The single-engine aircraft was reporting missing shortly before 1 a.m., and the wreckage was found around 7:30 a.m., he said.
The crash site is a steep and rugged area near the top of Catawba Mountain, close to the Appalachian Trail.
Snow identified the pilot as Praveen Bhaskaran of Vinton.
The plane had flown from Charlotte, N.C. It had aborted one landing attempt at the foggy Roanoke airport and was circling for another attempt when the crash occurred, state police said.
KEYWORDS: ACCIDENT PLANE FATALITIES by CNB