Three students participating in an event showcasing careers in aviation were injured Monday afternoon when the plane they were in went down at the end of a runway at Cape Fear Aviation at Gray's Creek Airport off Butler Nursery Road.
The trio and an instructor were on board the 1974 Cessna C172 at the time of incident.
The event, sponsored by Cumberland County Workforce Development, allowed registered attendees to learn about careers as airplane mechanics or pilots, both jobs expected to be in high demand in coming years.
A North Carolina Highway Patrol spokesperson said the plane crashed shortly after takeoff into a field beside the runway.
All four people on board the plane were taken to Cape Fear Valley Hospital in Fayetteville.
Joe Marsh, the Gray's Creek fire chief and a pilot himself, told WRAL News that he responded to the call only to find his grandson was one of the injured.