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.

According to an aviation investigation preliminary report by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the cause of the plane crash was the pilot attempting to avoid a turtle on the runway at Sugar Valley Airport in Mocksville.

One other person on board was killed in the June 3 crash in North Carolina and another passenger was severely injured.