A tragic plane crash has claimed the lives of a prominent couple and their two sons as they traveled from North Carolina to their residence in Alabama.

James “Tony” Moffatt, aged 60, his wife Leasa Moffatt, 61, along with their sons Andrew, 30, and William, 28, perished in the accident on Friday. The family’s aircraft went down in a wooded area near Union County Airport.

Authorities reported that the Moffatts were en route from Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina, heading to their luxurious home in Huntsville, Alabama, valued at $1.4 million, according to property records.

Before the ill-fated crash, the family had stopped at Union County, South Carolina, to refuel their Mooney M20P, a single-engine propeller plane.

Shortly after taking off from Union County Airport, the plane tragically crashed into the dense woods nearby.

The crash site was so remote and surrounded by thick forest that the state Forestry Service had to use a bulldozer to create access to the wreckage and recover the victims, officials reported.

The cause of the crash is not yet clear, and the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the incident. 

Investigators said James had been piloting the aircraft, and pictures shared to social media showed the father was an enthusiastic amateur pilot. 

James ‘Tony’ Moffatt, 60, was tragically killed when a plane he was piloting crashed near an airport in South Carolina, along with his wife and two sons 

James was piloting the plane when it crashed, killing him, his sons and wife Leasa Moffatt, 61, who was described as a ‘bright light’ in touching tributes following the tragedy

Brothers Andrew, 30, and William, 28, were also killed in the crash 

Tributes poured in for the family following news of the tragedy. 

The Huntsville Volleyball Academy said the Moffatt family had been popular members of their homeschooling program, and said James had been a coach for the team. 

The academy said the family’s surviving daughters were members, while Andrew was a photographer for the team. 

‘Leasa was always, always a bright light in the stands or at court side,’ the team said. 

The Freedom Cowboys Football team in Alabama said James was also a coach for their team on which his son William played, and said the family ‘represented the foundational spiritual principles that we hope we demonstrate in all that we do.’ 

‘Our hearts are broken,’ the team said on social media.  

James, who was piloting the plane, seen with his son Andrew

The cause of the crash is not yet clear, and the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the incident. Pictured: William Moffatt 

Officials said the family were flying home to Huntsville, Alabama, and they had stopped briefly in at Union County Airport in South Carolina (pictured) to refuel shortly before crashing near the runway

Friend Irene Tucker also wrote on social media that Leasa was a devoted mother who ‘carried a lightness of spirit that brought joy to others so effortlessly.’ 

‘Her words – often witty, always kind – were a reflection of a gracious and thoughtful heart,’ she said.