Fort Mill Pilot Who Died in Rock Hill Plane Crash was Flight Instructor, Company Says

Nov. 8—ROCK HILL, S.C. — Rock Hill, SC

A Fort Mill pilot killed in a Rock Hill plane crash was a flight instructor for a Charlotte school that did business at the Rock Hill/York County airport, officials said.

Robert Prestininzi, 49, was the pilot and sole occupant of a small plane that crashed nose-first in woods near Heckle Boulevard in southern Rock Hill around 7:30 p.m. Friday, according to the York County Coroner and National Transportation Safety Board.

The airport is in northern Rock Hill near S.C. 161.

The cause of the crash is unclear. No structures or people were hit on the ground, The Herald previously reported.

Pilot was a flight instructor

Prestininzi had been a flight instructor at FlyCarolina Flight School since 2020, the company said on Facebook. The company is based in Charlotte and has schools at airports in Rock Hill, and Monroe and Concord in N.C., according to the company.

//Prestininzi was returning on a flight to Rock Hill, according to FlyCarolina. He had been teaching at Rock Hill for more than a year.

"He was well liked and respected by students and staff alike. He will be missed," the company said. "Our sincere condolences to his family and friends."

FlyCarolina Operations Manager Chris Sanchez confirmed to The Herald on Monday Prestininzi was a flight instructor, but declined further comment.

FlyCarolina is listed as a flight school on the Rock Hill/York County Airport website.

Officials have not said if the flight Prestininzi was on when the crash happened was personal or business.

NTSB still investigating crash

The investigation into the crash is ongoing, NTSB spokesman Peter Knudson told The Herald Monday.

The plane's flight track, analyzed by the NTSB, showed it circled the Rock Hill area before the crash, Knudson said.

The Piper PA-30 twin engine aircraft was on its way to the Rock Hill airport from an airport in LaGrange, Ga., according to Knudson and a Federal Aviation Administration statement.

LaGrange is southwest of Atlanta near the Alabama state line.

On-site investigators are expected to finish field work Monday, Knudson said, and a preliminary report could be available within two weeks. A full report on the crash could take a year or more, he said.

Pilot was a former deputy in Tennessee

Prestininzi worked for a Charlotte mortgage company and had been in financial services in the Charlotte and Fort Mill area for about 15 years, according to his LinkedIn profile.

Prestininzi had been a deputy for six years through 2001 at the Rutherford County Sheriff's Office in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

The staff at the sheriff's office near Nashville are heart-broken to hear of the death of someone who still is remembered and loved in the law enforcement community, said spokeswoman Lisa Marchesoni.

Prestinizi, known as Rob, rose through the sheriff's office ranks from patrol deputy to drug investigator and detective, said Capt. Chris Haynes of the Rutherford County Sheriff's Office.

"He was one of the most driven and hardest workers I have ever worked with in my life," Haynes told The Herald Monday in a statement. "He always had the most positive outlook on everything in life and the way he could talk to people was what set him apart. You could be a millionaire or a bum on the street and Rob could carry on a conversation with you and leave you a better person for just having talked to him. Heaven gained a great person."

Prestininzi was also an avid runner who was a longtime member of the Rock Hill Striders running club, a club member posted on Facebook.

Funeral arrangements have not been released.

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