(Headline USA) Another untimely death has been linked to Bill and Hillary Clinton after the pilot of a small plane was killed when it crashed at Clinton National Airport in Little Rock.
Local news reports and social media described a fiery scene at the airport, which closed for roughly an hour following the tragic mishap.
🚨 ✈️ Plane crash at Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport in Little Rock, Arkansas
Only one person on board the plane has died after the Cirrus SR22 crashed during takeoff
Source: Voz US pic.twitter.com/1fMGoAPtKe
— Kacee Allen 🇺🇸 (@KaceeRAllen) January 21, 2024
The Cirrus SR 22 took off from the airport Sunday afternoon, airport officials said in a statement.
Shortly thereafter, the pilot declared an emergency, and then crashed north of the airport’s cargo building, authorities said. The pilot was the only person on board.
Little Rock Police on Monday identified the pilot as William Cope, 62, the Arkansas Democrat–Gazette reported. Cope was pronounced dead at the scene.
The National Transportation Safety Board will work to determine the cause of the crash, airport officials said.
“It is important to note that NTSB does not determine cause in the early part of the investigative process,” an official from the safety board said in an email, according to local news station KATV. “This is considered the fact gathering phase of the investigation.”
There is no indication, pending the investigation, that the Clintons were directly involved in the crash or were connected to Cope.
Cope, of Greenbriar, was employed as chief pilot for Simmons Bank and had posted recently on LinkedIn that his new granddaughter was “getting her resume in order for the application process.”
Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press
