Cobb County police identify pilot in deadly plane crash

COBB COUNTY, Ga. — Cobb County police have identified the pilot who crashed into a house in Marietta as Robert Westlake, 78, of Atlanta.

Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board arrived Saturday at the scene of a deadly plane crash in a Cobb County neighborhood.

Westlake was killed when the plane crashed into a home on Vistawood Lane in Marietta Friday night.

Westlake was the only person on the plane and no one was in the house at the time of the crash.

The Federal Aviation Administration said a Cessna Citation I aircraft en route to the Fulton County Airport went down east of the Cobb County International Airport/McCollum Field around 7:20 p.m.

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Fire officials said the plane landed in the home's front yard and sent the house up in flames.

"From what it looks like at this point, it came over from the top of the house and landed in the front yard," said Danell Boyd, with the Cobb County fire department.

The family was at church at the time of the crash.

Witnesses said the plane spun out and nose-dived to the ground. Channel 2 Action News viewers reported seeing smoke from the Kennesaw State University football stadium.

"I heard a swoosh and then a clap and an explosion and I pretty much knew before I looked outside that it was a plane crash," neighbor Joe Thomas said.

A few homes were evacuated while firefighters investigated. The neighborhood will be blocked off for a time as NTSB investigators look into the crash.

"Seeing that, seeing a plane on fire and a house starting to burn and wondering if your neighbors are OK, it's not just something you hear on the news," neighbor Samantha Strickland said.

The FAA will investigate and the NTSB will determine the cause of the crash.

Cox Media Group