Crash reported in Thomson after plane found in field off Wrightsboro Road; Two confirmed dead

Crews are investigating a deadly plane crash that occurred Tuesday morning in Thomson.

According to McDuffie County Sheriff's Office Maj. Ronnie Williamson, a call came in around 6:30 a.m. about a missing plane. Deputies went out to search the area that the 911 caller indicated the plane might be at and found a plane had crashed in a field on the 3300 block of Wrightsboro Road.

According to the FAA, a Dassault Falcon business jet crashed near Wrightsboro Road around 5:44 a.m. Williamson confirmed there was a fatal plane crash; the FAA stated there were two people on board.

The McDuffie Coroner's Office identified Raymond Bachman, 73, of Fountain Hills, Ariz. and Claude Duchesne, 63, of El Paso, Texas, as the victims in the crash. Both pilots of the plane. 

The flight originated from Lubbock Preston Smith International Airport in Lubbock, Texas, and was scheduled to arrive at Thomson-McDuffie County Airport shortly before 6 a.m.

Williamson said the sheriff's office contacted the Federal Aviation Administration to investigate the crash. Wrightsboro Road between Knox Rivers and 3 Points Road has been blocked off due to the crash.

According to the FAA, the agency and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the crash, with the NTSB in charge of the investigation.