MCDOWELL COUNTY, N.C. (WLOS) — Dave Garris, the Johnson County Airport manager in Mountain City, Tennessee, knew the pilot of the Cessna 182 plane that crashed near the McDowell/Rutherford County line.

The pilot, along with two passengers on board, died in the crash.

The plane, owned by Air Star Aviation LLC, departed from Mountain City around 8:29 p.m. on Sunday, July 7. The plane was last seen around Rutherfordton, North Carolina, at around 8:57 p.m.

According to the flight tracking program Flight Aware, the plane was in the air for 28 minutes of what Garris estimated is typically a 30-minute flight. He said the plane was within 8.8 miles of its destination: the Rutherford County Airport.

“I got the call this morning from the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) looking for that plane, thinking that it might have doubled back to this airport because the weather was good here," said Garris. "That’s when I was alerted we had a missing aircraft.”

Garris said Air Star Aviation and the plane have no association with the Johnson County airport. He mentioned that Cessna 182s are a common aircraft and he believed the plane was built in the 1950s.

“It did have some age on it, but as long [as the] aircrafts are maintained, they stay in good mechanical shape," he said.

Garris is an experienced pilot and has built planes for years. He says he rarely flies at night due to added risks.

Garris declined to comment on what the plane was being used for on the roundtrip flight.

While he declined to give the name of the pilot, he shared the high regard he had for him as a professional pilot and a person.

He was a great guy. He was such an inspiration, a very hard worker and was very dedicated to his craft," Garris said. "As far as his family goes, I couldn’t begin to fathom their hurt and their loss. I knew he had been together with his wife for a lot of years and she’s just got to be devastated... I wish I could reach out and give her a big hug. I’m just very, very sorry.