(AP) -- A North Carolina businessman has died in a single-engine plane crashed in South Carolina.

York County Coroner Sabrina Gast says 49-year-old William "Skipper" Beck, of Charlotte, N.C., died in the crash around 7:15 a.m. Friday at the Rock Hill/York County Airport. He was a co-owner of the Charlotte Bobcats.

Gast and the Federal Aviation Administration say Beck was the only person aboard the Cirrus SR22. Witnesses say the plane returned shortly after take off, but crashed as it tried to land and caught fire.

An Internet flight tracking site says the plane flew from New Jersey to Rock Hill on Wednesday.

Charlotte Bobcats owner Robert L. Johnson issued a statement Friday saying that Beck was instrumental in bringing the Bobcats to the area.

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