LEVEL CROSS N.C. – After surviving a plane crash in April of this year and spending 5 months in the hospital, Jimmy Foecking was greeted by friends and members of the community as he returned home today.
On April 11th, 2023, Foecking was one of two people in a single-engine Vans RV-12 aircraft that crashed into a hill on the side of US Hwy 421, south of Greensboro Executive Airport in Guilford County just after 11 a.m.
According to a preliminary report by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the pilot had taken off at 11:03 a.m. and conducted a touch-and-go landing before landing back at the airport and picking up a passenger. At 11:27 a.m. The aircraft took off again and climbed for around 30 seconds, until video surveillance showed the airplane immediately stopped climbing and entered an abrupt left turn. Multiple witnesses on the highway reported seeing the airplane flying low over the highway before coming to rest upside down and catching fire after impacting a hill and bridge just 0.4 miles south of the airport.
The NTSB has yet to release its final report, and the cause of the crash remains under investigation.
Kurtis Dale Williams, 52, of Kernersville was tragically killed in the crash. Foecking was pulled from the wreckage and transported to UNC-Chapel Hill Hospital with serious injuries.
Foecking was treated at the UNC Chapel Hill ICU and Burn Unit for several months before spending several weeks at a UNC inpatient rehab center in Hillsborough.
Today, friends and family are simply happy Foecking is back home. “It really meant the world to see the smile on Jimmy’s face today,” said Carrie Slatosky, who organized today’s homecoming. “Right after the accident, we didn’t know what the outcome was going to be. It was very touchy and many times discouraging. There were setbacks, but then Jimmy began making micro progressions, and it was a joy to hear about all of them. To watch him come back to his stomping grounds is truly remarkable as a fellow aviator. That’s all we wish for someone; to have the chance to make a full recovery after going through one of the things that is always on the back of our minds. So, today was really special to all of us.”
A Gun Raffle is being held to raise money to help the family with medical expenses. Two tiers of tickets at $10 and $20 are available for purchase at Memory Lane Antiques or the Pleasant Garden Drug Store. The drawing will be held on September 27th, 2023.
