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4 months ago
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A North Carolina man posed for a haunting photo in front of the plane he was about to skydive from just hours before tragedy struck.
Devin Hutchinson was celebrating his bachelorette party on Sunday when he was pictured smiling in front of a single-engine Cessna 182 at the Johnson County Airport in Mountain City, Tennessee.
Hutchinson told WLOS that his group of friends had to split because of the small plane's size, so he flew with pilot Adam Plummer, 59, and instructors Scott George, 54, and Charles Mather Jr, 37.
The bachelor had a great time skydiving - but the experience took on a dark turn the next morning when Hutchinson was watching the news.
Hutchinson learned on Monday that same plane had crashed about 30 miles east of Asheville, NC, killing the pilot and instructors he had just met.
Devin Hutchinson was celebrating his bachelorette party when he was pictured smiling in front of a single-engine Cessna 182 at the Johnson County Airport in Mountain City, Tennessee
'I told my friends, and it crushed us,' Hutchinson told the local news outlet.
'Those were the people that we had just met less than 12 hours ago, and now they're not here.'
Hutchinson added: 'You could tell they were full of joy and they had a great time doing what they were doing.'
The plane had taken off Sunday at about 8.30pm and was headed to Rutherfordton, North Carolina, when it crashed.
Hutchinson is seen on Sunday with his two friends, who he went skydiving with
The plane had taken off Sunday at about 8.30pm and was headed to Rutherfordton, North Carolina, when it crashed
The wreckage was found on Monday morning after the plane was reported missing.
An obituary for pilot George partly reads: 'He spent his professional career at JTEK, Boeing, and ATS, where he was well-liked and respected by his colleagues.
'Beyond his professional life, Scott was passionate about sky-diving. He was not only a tandem-skydiving instructor but also an avid enthusiast of sky-diving and occasional BASE jumping.
'Scott leaves behind his loving wife of 31 years, India Vaughan George, and their two sons, Landon Blaise George, 27, and Maveric Vaughn George, 18.'
An obituary for pilot George partly reads: 'He spent his professional career at JTEK, Boeing, and ATS, where he was well-liked and respected by his colleagues'
Skydiving instructor Charles Mather Jr, 37, is pictured with his mother. He was one of the crash's three victims
Instructors Scott George, who was also killed on Sunday, is pictured
The National Transportation Safety Board will be in charge of the investigation and will provide further updates, according to the FAA, which is also investigating.
An NTSB investigator was traveling to the scene to document and examine the wreckage, officials said.
The agency is expected to issue a preliminary report within 30 days on the initial phase of its investigation though a final report with a probable cause and any contributing factors is expected to take one to two years.
English (US)