2 Families Killed In Small Plane Crashes, Seperate Accidents Kill 8 In All Options

[batmanchester]

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. -- Small planes crashed in Tennessee and South Carolina, killing two families -- eight people in all, authorities said.

A family of four from Davie, Fla., died when their small plane crashed in a wooded residential area near Chattanooga, where they had planned to visit relatives.

Nelson McPhearson reported problems with the plane's landing instruments before the crash Friday, the Hamilton County Sheriff's Department said.

Some passengers appeared to have been ejected from the single-engine Beech 36 when it hit a tree five miles north of the city, officials told The Chattanooga Times Free Press.

Emergency crews found the bodies of McPhearson, 43; his wife, Debbie, 43; and daughters Danielle, 19, and Kayla, 13.

In South Carolina, a family of four died when their plane crashed Friday into the Stono River, the coroner said.

Dr. Ray Armistead, 58, was piloting his Cessna 340A when it went down Friday as it circled back for a second attempt to land at the Johns Island Executive Airport southwest of downtown Charleston, authorities said.

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