The identity of two plane crash victims was confirmed Friday afternoon by Greene County officials.
Mark J. Sobel and his wife, Joan Wilson, were killed Thursday afternoon when their private plane, a 2003 LancAir IV-P, crashed in an open field off Oakdale Road, near Snow Hill, said Lemmie Smith, Green County sheriff.
The couple, both 56 years of age, were traveling from Fort Myers, Fla., to Hartford, Conn., Thursday afternoon when the pilot lost contact with air traffic control in Washington, D.C.
The plane engulfed in flames on impact. The victims were transported to Pitt Memorial Hospital for an autopsy, Smith said.
The cause of the crash is being investigated and a preliminary report will be released in five to six days on the National Transportation Safety Board Web site, said Dennis Diaz, air safety investigator with NTSB.
Remains of the wreck will be shipped to an Atlanta recovery facility Saturday. The Federal Aviation Administration and local fire, police and emergency management have all assisted with the investigation. Greene County officials have been responsible to notify families of the victims.
For more on this story, see the Wilson Daily Times Saturday print edition.