FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — Federal investigators are searching for answers, in what caused a deadly plane crash.
One person on the plane died and two other people on the plane were injured.
But it could have been much worse. Highway 369 is a busy road.
The plane hit the back of a car on the way down, but the driver was not injured.
Forsyth County officials told Channel 2's Christian Jennings that they've been trying to get in touch with the victim's family but have not yet been able to reach them.
Neighbor Cherie Simonds said she was outside with her husband when they looked up and knew right away something was wrong.
Just arrived near scene of plane crash on Browns Bridge Road and Waldrip Circle... this is near Lake Lanier pic.twitter.com/9CyDpGSOuM
— Christian Jennings (@CJenningsWSB) April 28, 2018
“It looked like it was going to hit our house the way it was coming down,” Simonds said. “The plane was smoking, making circles around the cul-de-sac and then the engine started to sputter on and off, and then it went completely silent and the plane started to come down.”
Forsyth County officials said just after 5 p.m. Saturday the single-engine aircraft crashed on Highway 369 (Browns Bridge Road) near Waldrip Circle, hitting the back of a car on its way down.
UPDATE on plane crash in Forsyth County. 1 dead, 2 injured
Posted by Christian Jennings on Saturday, April 28, 2018
“When that occurred, a wing to the aircraft sheared off. The wing full of fuel went off to the southern embankment of the roadway, (a) very steep embankment, and set that embankment on fire,” Forsyth County Fire Division Chief Jason Shivers said. “The aircraft unfortunately tumbled off the northern embankment.”
No one inside the car was injured but three people were on board the airplane. Two of those people were rushed to Northeast Georgia Medical Center in stable condition.
A third man inside the plane died on impact.
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“Our assumption is there was some attempt by aircraft to make an emergency landing of some sort on the roadway,” Shivers told Jennings.
“I’m so thankful it didn’t hit a house, you know? Whoever was on there actually avoided all the houses in our subdivision,” Simonds said.
The NTSB and FAA are on the ground beginning their investigation. There is no word from them on what caused the plane to go down.
Channel 2 Action News looked up the tail number of the plane and knows that it is registered to an area flight school.
We're holding off on saying which school because we know officials are still working to notify next of kin.
Cox Media Group
