MOUNT AIRY, N.C. - Officials said a twin-engine plane crashed as it tried to land amid low fog at a small airport in northwest North Carolina, killing all six people on board.<br />
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Stephanie Conner, a Surry County emergency services shift supervisor, said investigators had confirmed there were no survivors in yesterday's crash. The Federal Aviation Administration said the flight originated at the Polk County-Cornelius Moore Field in Cedartown, Georgia.<br />
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Surry County officials said the King Air C90A crashed in a neighborhood near the Mount Airy airport around 11:30 a.m. The plane split in half after falling into a grassy area between two homes. Spokesman Warren Woodberry of the FAA said no one on the ground was hurt.<br />
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Woodberry said the plane was headed for Mount Airy. Kelvin Boyette, the Mount Airy airport manager, said the passengers were on their way to Primland, a hunting and golf resort in Meadows of Dan, Virginia, about 25 miles north of the airport.<br />
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Boyette said the plane was attempting to land when it missed on its approach and may have been trying to circle back for another attempt before it crashed.<br />
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According to FAA records, the plane is registered to Blue Sky Airways in Dallas, Georgia.<br />
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One of the men on board was identified by his cousin as John Rakestraw, a pilot who owned a construction company in Dallas with the same address listed on the plane's registration.<br />
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Ronald Rakestraw said, ``I received a call earlier. I called my nephew to confirm it.''<br />
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Bert Brantley, a spokesman for Georgia Governor Perdue, said that Rakestraw held a fundraiser for Perdue at his home during the governor's re-election campaign.<br />
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Jeff Ragsdale, son of Paulding County Georgia Commissioner Larry Ragsdale, said also on board were Paulding County Commissioner Hal Echols and developer Steve Simpson.<br />
