ANN REALTIME REPORTING 10.27.06 2000 EDT: Two of the four persons onboard a Cirrus SR22 were killed Friday morning following a botched landing attempt at Statesville (NC) Regional Airport.

Officials say the plane was heading from Florida to the Lake Norman Airpark, located 10 miles south of Statesville, but was forced to divert to SVH due to low clouds and fog.

One witness told Charlotte's WSOC-9 she saw as the plane approached the runway at Statesville, but it appeared the plane's pilot missed the approach and was attempting circle back when the accident occurred.

"We saw he got a little too low, and then as he got too low he clipped the trees, nose of it went down -– he went straight down," said Lee Cauble. "It was almost like slow motion; you just watched it go and there was nothing you could do."

Emergency crews arrived within minutes, and found two survivors. Paramedics report the plane's pilot, Edward A. Sasso, walked away from the accident -- but his sister was critically injured. Both are at an area hospital.

Officials did not release the identities of the two persons lost in the accident.

The aircraft, a 2001 Cirrus SR22, s/n 0066 FAA registry N969ES, is registered to Sasso. The flight departed North Palm Beach Airport (F45) just after 8:30 am EDT Friday morning, according to flight tracking website flightaware.com. 

FMI: www.faa.gov