3 killed when small plane crashes in western North Carolina mountains, officials say

MARION, N.C. (AP) — Officials in western North Carolina say three people were killed when a small plane crashed. McDowell County Emergency Management said in a statement Monday that emergency personnel responding to a report of a missing small plane found the downed aircraft near the Rutherford County line. The area is about 30 miles east of Asheville. McDowell County officials later confirmed three deaths in the downed aircraft. The Federal Aviation Administration says three people were aboard the single-engine Cessna 182 when it crashed in the mountains near Rutherfordton. The National Transportation Safety Board says preliminary information indicates that the plane, which departed Mountain City, Tennessee, and was heading to Rutherford County Airport, crashed Sunday and the wreckage was found Monday.