NORTH CAROLINA Parker-Hannifin employee dies in plane crash

SANFORD, N.C. (AP) -- A single-engine plane on its way to North Carolina's first-flight celebration crashed shortly after takeoff, killing the pilot and injuring three of four passengers, authorities said.
Cleveland-based Parker Hannifin Corp. said the pilot and three of the four survivors were employees of the maker of motion-control products.
The company identified the pilot as Jaime Beingolea, 46, of Raleigh, a 24-year Parker Hannifin employee who was responsible for the company's gear pump business.
The other employees -- Mary Rollins, Robert Pajor and Monika Wolak -- all worked in the company's Sanford operations, which include plants manufacturing gear pumps and hydraulic pumps, company spokeswoman Lorrie Paul Crum said.
Wolak was in surgery at Wake Medical Center in Raleigh, a hospital spokeswoman said. Rollins received a handful of stitches, WRAL-TV reported. Another passenger, Amanda Walls, was in good condition at Central Carolina Hospital in Sanford, spokeswoman Emily Smith said. Pajor suffered little more than a bump on the head, said his wife, Jackie.
The plane left the small Sanford-Lee County Regional Airport south of Raleigh about 5 a.m. and had flown about three-quarters of a mile when it banked and crashed, sheriff's Capt. James Estes said.
"One of the survivors said he heard two clunking noises and the plane went down on its side in a wooded area. The plane did not catch fire," Estes said.
The Cessna 206 was about 2 years old, he said. Estes said it was foggy when the crash occurred, but it wasn't known if that was a factor.