Chinese state media reported that on February 6 a small aircraft crashed near an airport close to Gilbert, South Carolina, killing one person and injuring another. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) have opened investigations into the incident as authorities work to establish cause and sequence of events.
On the same day, local officials in Idaho responded to a separate small-aircraft crash. Fire crews arrived at the scene and authorities urged the public to avoid the area; CCTV’s report did not provide casualty details for the Idaho accident and local agencies have yet to release a full account.
The NTSB and FAA investigations will typically examine pilot records, maintenance logs, airworthiness of the aircraft, local weather conditions, air traffic communications and airport operations. In U.S. civil aviation, small, privately operated aircraft account for a large share of recorded accidents and fatalities, so probes by federal agencies are aimed not only at establishing responsibility but also at identifying safety gaps that could lead to broader recommendations.
Beyond the immediate human toll, such crashes often trigger local disruption and renewed attention to general aviation safety practices—ranging from pilot training and maintenance oversight to airport infrastructure and emergency-response readiness. Depending on their findings, the NTSB could issue safety recommendations that influence FAA rule-making, industry practices, insurance assessments and public confidence in small-aircraft operations.