Pilot crash lands near upscale SC neighborhood. Here’s what we know

The pilot of a single-engine Cessna landed in a field about 3 miles short of the Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport after reporting the plane was low on fuel.

The plane touched down amid scrub bushes behind the Hartness industrial complex, not far from a neighborhood of $600,000 to $1 million homes.

Two people were aboard the four-seater, which is registered to a Zim Sim, a company based in Charleston. The pilot and passenger suffered minor injuries.

Zim Sim is registered to Clinton T. Zimmer, according to Bizapedia. Zimmer on LinkedIn is listed as the owner of C&K Flight Services, a flight training and aircraft rental company in Charleston.

Peter Knudson, spokesman for the National Transportation and Safety Board, said the flight was at first believed to be a training exercise. but he has since learned the plane was rented by a pilot and one passenger.

NTSB investigators Thursday opened an investigation into the crash because there was substantial damage, he said. A preliminary report will be released in about two weeks.

The plane was a 1982 model Cessna 172. It appeared dented but largely intact and did not catch fire.

Carson Black, who lives along the flight path, told WYFF-TV that he heard the plane engine sputter and then go silent.

The plane took off from Summerville at 11:22 a.m. and landed just before 1 p.m.

The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating.

This story was originally published November 3, 2022 at 10:12 AM.