2 men, 1 teen die when small plane crashes in coastal South Carolina

August 4, 2013 at 3:25AM

CONWAY, S.C. — A private twin-engine aircraft has crashed near a subdivision in coastal South Carolina, killing all three people onboard.

Horry (OHR'-ee) County Coroner Robert Edge identified the victims Saturday night as 39-year-old James Major of Conway, 42-year-old Kenneth Piuma of Myrtle Beach and 16-year-old Donald Dale Becker of Conway.

Edge said Major was piloting the plane when it apparently struck a power line while attempting to return to Conway-Horry County Airport Saturday afternoon.

Edge said, "When they hit the power line, it set them nose down first."

Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen says the Beechcraft BE55 Baron was destroyed.

Kirk Lovell with the Horry County Department of Airports says the aircraft clipped some electrical wires when it went down, cutting power to the area.

The crash in Conway happened just 15 miles northwest of Myrtle Beach.

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