2 dead after plane crashes in Lincoln County field

LINCOLN COUNTY, N.C. -- Police and firefighters responded to the scene of a deadly plane crash near the Lincoln County Airport early Tuesday morning.

Authorities told WSOC that a Piper PA-32 crashed between Denver and Lincolnton off Highway 73 just before 6 a.m.

Officials said two men were on the single-engine plane; neither of them survived.

The pilot was identified as 63-year-old Teddy Wayne Heavner. The passenger was 54-year-old Basil Todd Sain.

Both men were from Lincolnton, N.C.

Family members told WSOC that the plane had just taken off from the airport and was headed to an air show in Oshkosh, Wisconsin when it crashed.

Crews from WSOC said they could see broken pieces of the plane in a field about 300 yards from the runway.

State troopers said they were responding to secure the scene for the Federal Aviation Administration.

The National Transportation Safety Board will determine the cause of the crash.

WSOC's Meteorologist, Keith Monday, said it was not raining during the time of the crash but visibility was down to about a mile due to low clouds and fog.