Pilot's harrowing warning before plane carrying family of four crashed in field killing all those on board
Travis Buchanan, his wife Candace, and their two children, Aubrey 10, and Walker, nine, were the only people on board the Cirrus SR22T plane.
3
The Buchanan family was killed in a plane crash in North Carolina
Credit: Facebook
3
Pictures show the plane's splintered wreckage
Credit: WNCN
The family was heading back to North Carolina following a trip to Florida.
It took off from Merritt Island, located off Florida's eastern coastline, just after 11am local time on Monday and was meant to land at an executive airport in Sanford.
But, the aircraft, owned by Travis, crashed a mile from the airport, as reported by the ABC affiliate
The pilot warned of engine failure and a loss of communications when the plane was around six miles from the airport, according to the
NBC
affiliate
read more on news
Pictures from the scene showed the splintered plane lying in a field following the smash.
Three of the four people died at the scene, while one person died at the hospital.
Investigators are probing what could've caused the crash.
The plane reached maximum heights of 3,570 meters, which equates to approximately 11,700 feet.
Most read in The US Sun
One of the
features
of the Cirrus SR22T aircraft is that it has a parachute system.
But, it appears that this failed.
Plane passenger tells traveler 'his laptop is a bomb' sparking mid-air chaos on packed jet
'It does not appear the parachute deployed,' Ryan Enders, a National Transportation Safety Board investigator, told reporters.
The Cirrus plane can climb at a rate of 1,203 feet per minute, and can fly at a maximum of 25,000 feet, according to an
It's powered by a 315 horsepower engine.
Tributes have been paid to Travis and Candace, both 35, as well as their two children.
Aubrey was about to enter the fifth grade, while Walker was about to move into the fourth grade at their school.
Travis and his family owned the local Buchanan Farms business.
'He helped me all the time,' Abraham Garcia, who worked for Travis, told WRAL.
It could take 18 months for the full crash report to be released.
A string of plane crashes have been reported across the US and North America in recent months.
Last week,
Six people, including a wealthy steel magnate, were killed when their Cessna 441 plane crashed after departing from an Ohio airport.
US on edge over 'cluster' of plane crashes
A series of devastating plane crashes, including the mid-air collision above DC that killed 67, has left Americans terrified of traveling by air.
However, aviation expert and attorney Jason Matzus told The U.S. Sun the crashes can be attributed to "random clustering."
"While these events are tragic, the likely explanation is simply 'random clustering,' which occurs when multiple crashes occur over a short period, warping our general perception and causing us to think that there is an increasing trend in plane crashes," Matzus said.
"When in reality these crashes, despite being so close together, are merely coincidental and not caused by a systemic safety issue."
The short period Matzus referred to was just a matter of three weeks. The aviation mishaps included:
January 29
- A military helicopter and American Airlines plane collided at the Washington DC airport, killing 67 people
January 31
- An air ambulance carrying a
February 5
- A Japan Airlines flight hit a parked Delta plane at
February 6
- A
February 10
- Motley Crue singer Vince Neil's private jet
February 17
- A Delta plane crashed on the runway at Toronto Pearson International Airport, miraculously killing no one but injuring 21
February 19
-
February 24
-
March 9
- A Beechcraft Bonanza aircraft
March 13
- An
The US aviation industry was left reeling when
The crash happened over the icy Potomac River near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on January 29.
Sixty four people were on board the Bombardier CRJ700 aircraft that had departed Wichita, Kansas, and was heading to Washington DC.
Days later,
an air ambulance carrying a
crashed on a street in Philadelphia, killing seven people in total
.
In February, a plane carrying 10 people vanished off the coast of Alaska.
Meanwhile, a Delta jet flipped onto its roof after landing at Toronto Pearson airport, leaving 21 injured.
3
The Cirrus SR22T plane is powered by a 315 horsepower engine
Credit: Cirrus
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Extra.ie
6 days ago
- Extra.ie
Social media reunites 86-year-old woman with her beloved donkeys
A woman who last track of her adoptive donkeys following a devastating house fire is finally set to reunite with her beloved pets. Margaret Adams, 86, moved to Ireland two decades ago and has been based in Killeagh, East Cork. Earlier this year, the British native lost all of her belongings when a fire quickly engulfed her thatched house. Pic: Trace My Donkeys/ Facebook Fortunately, Margaret escaped the blaze while a quick-acting neighbour rescued her dogs, Misty and Lurcher. Following the demise of her home, Margaret returned to the United Kingdom to spend time with her brother, but was adamant to return to her home away from home in Cork. As well as her canine friends, Margaret was also owner to a pair of pet donkeys, Dolly and Daisy, who were rehomed following the fire. Fortunately, Margaret escaped the blaze while a quick-acting neighbour rescued her dogs, Misty and Lurcher. Pic: Go Fund Me Margaret regrettably gave up her donkeys two days after the fire, with her friend appealing on Facebook to reconnect the woman with her pets. An appeal issued on Facebook group Trace My Donkeys, detailed how Margaret thought she would have contact with her donkeys. A friend of Margaret's detailed that Margaret was back in her home of East Cork but couldn't locate Dolly and Daisy, who had been relocated. Earlier this week, Bernie, who appealed for the missing donkeys, shared a beautiful update confirming that Dolly and Daisy had been found 'safe and well in the UK.' Pic: Trace My Donkeys/ Facebook Earlier this week, Bernie, who appealed for the missing donkeys, shared a beautiful update confirming that Dolly and Daisy had been found 'safe and well in the UK.' In a testament to the power of social media, the family who were caring for Dolly and Daisy saw the appeal and made contact thinking they had the donkeys. Bernie confirmed: 'Dolly and Daisy have travelled many, many miles over many, many hours from their home in East Cork to the UK and they will be doing it all again but this time returning to where they belong. 'Margaret will be absolutely over the moon to meet her beautiful donkeys again as will very many other people who knew and loved them dearly.'
The Irish Sun
6 days ago
- The Irish Sun
Two people burned alive in Brit holiday island Cyprus while another 10 killed in Turkey as huge wildfire infernos spread
TWO people were burnt alive in a vehicle while trying to flee a wildfire in southern Cyprus. Just across the sea, Turkey battled a massive blaze, which killed at least 10 rescue workers in the central Eskisehir province. 2 A helicopter carries water to extinguish fire Credit: Getty 2 Smoke rises from burning trees in the Turkish district of Seyitgazi Credit: Getty Hundreds of people in the Cypriot cities of Limassol and Paphos were evacuated after a broke out around midday on Wednesday. More to follow... For the latest news on this story, keep checking back at The U.S. Sun, your go-to destination for the best celebrity news, sports news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures, and must-see videos . Like us on Facebook at
The Irish Sun
21-07-2025
- The Irish Sun
Bamboo was taking over my garden & had me fearing for my house – until a cheap buy from The Range got rid of it for good
A FED-UP gardener has revealed how she finally managed to wipe out a monster bamboo infestation using a budget buy from The Range. Posting in the Gardening on a Budget Official Facebook group, one frustrated woman explained how her partner's garden had been completely Advertisement 2 A gardener turned to Facebook after having their garden overun by bamboo Credit: Facebook/ Gardening on a budget official 2 People recommended The Range's Roundup Tree Stump and Rootkiller Credit: The range She described it as 'solid' ground and saying 'there's so much of it' they didn't know where to start. But thankfully, green-fingered Brits rallied around to offer tried-and-tested advice and one product kept cropping up as the Gardeners recommended the Roundup Tree Stump and Root Killer, which retails at £18.99 from The powerful weedkiller is specially designed to target tough, woody plants and it seems bamboo doesn't stand a chance. Advertisement Read more on gardening tips One user swore by the stuff, commenting: 'I used this on mine. It took a few months, but it's gone and never came back.' Another backed it up, adding: 'It's brilliant stuff. The Roundup kills it – best time is when it stops growing in October or November.' The product's official description says it's a 'non-selective, translocated weedkiller' that travels throughout the plant and root system. It tackles everything from tree stumps to nettles, ivy and invasive bamboo. Advertisement Most read in Fabulous It's absorbed by leaves or freshly cut surfaces and works both above and below ground. Once it hits the soil, microbes break it down, meaning it's safe to replant in treated areas. 6 Reasons Bamboo May Not Be Ideal for Your British Garden And for gardeners dealing with full-blown One poor user shared: 'I get invaded by my Advertisement "My garden is tiered because of sloping, and the roots even disturbed and knocked off the boards on the bottom tier.' She revealed the stubborn plant caused 'numerous shoots coming up on my lawn', adding: 'It took weeks. I still get the odd shoot popping up and as soon as I see it, I'm on it.' Others chimed in with more boiling water over shoots to kill them off, though most agreed that Roundup offered a long-term fix with minimal fuss. With its ability to take down even notorious intruders like Advertisement So if bamboo is creeping into your space and boiling water just won't cut it, this £18.99 could be the price of peace and quiet in your garden. As one user put it: 'It's the only thing that worked and trust me, I tried everything.' How to prevent bamboo from taking over your garden For those that are still tempted to add bamboo to their garden, there is a way that you can Rather than simply planting a smaller patch, green-fingered influencer Advertisement In a recent Instagram reel, he advised his followers: 'Basically, you dig a trench [and] you put this [the bamboo barrier], leave it sticking out a little bit.' According to the gardening whizz, this will stop any shoots and rhizomes from spreading through the soil. If you already have a bamboo plant in your garden, you can also use the same method by placing the plastic barrier around your existing patch. How to get rid of invasive bamboo IF you have a bamboo that has got out of hand, you may wish to eradicate it completely. Cultural control Non-chemical methods involve digging out clumps of bamboo and restricting the size. This can be difficult with very large plants, or on heavy soil. Use a sharp spade to dig up the entire clump or to remove sections from the edge of the clump that have grown beyond the limits. Sever rhizomes as you go, lifting and removing them with a fork or trowel. Weedkiller control When invasive plants are a threat to biodiversity and gardeners struggle to control them with cultural methods, targeted use of regulated weedkillers may be an option. Garden centres and large retailers selling weedkillers have trained staff who can advise on suitable products for your needs.
