The pilot of a small plane that crashed near an airport tried to avoid hitting a turtle on the runway, according to a National Transportation Safety Board report. The pilot and a passenger were killed.

A man who was cutting grass at the end of the runway also told investigators he saw the pilot lift the wheel to avoid the turtle. He then saw the wings begin to rock back and forth. The plane took off again, and the man soon after heard a large crash and saw smoke.

Two people are dead and one is seriously injured after a small private plane crashed in North Carolina, avoiding a reptile on the runway on June 3, a report said.