Businessman, mother of 3 identified in deadly Atlanta plane crash

ATLANTA — Residents are still in shock after witnessing a small plane come straight down Thursday and crash into a northwest Atlanta park.

Wreckage from the deadly plane crash was hauled away Friday as family members tried to cope with what happened.

One of the victims, Danielle Mitchell, was engaged to be married and was getting ready for the holidays.

Channel 2's Tom Jones spoke with members of Mitchell's family, who has been understandably upset.

The family visited the crash site Friday to try and process the tragedy. Channel 2 Action News confirmed the woman was with her boss, successful businessman and world-renowned pilot, Wei Chen, on his corporate plane.

Mitchell had hoped to head home to Memphis, Tennessee, then come back to Atlanta for the holidays. But now that won't happen.

"I spoke to her a few days ago. She was going to be coming to Atlanta," Mitchell's uncle, David Mitchell Jr., said.

David Mitchell Jr. said his 32-year-old niece was looking forward to hanging out with family in Atlanta for Christmas.

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Mitchell was one of four people who died when the Cessna C-560 Citation 5 plane crashed into a football field at English Park Thursday around noon.

The aircraft had just taken off from Charlie Brown Field and was headed to Memphis where Mitchell and Chen were both from.

Channel 2 Action News learned Chen had previously set a record by being the first Chinese citizen to fly a single-engine plane around the world.

"We have found a cockpit voice recorder and it's going to be taken back to D.C.," said Heidi Kemner, with the National Transportation Safety Board.

Jones was at the scene as the NTSB began its investigation into what went wrong.

Crews spent the day picking up plane parts to take to Washington, D.C., for examination.

The agency said it will leave no stone unturned in working to figure out what happened.

"Throughout the investigation process, we will look into the man, the machine and the environment," Kemner said.

Mitchell's family said she was one of a kind.

"She was a great person. University of Alabama graduate," cousin Trevor Berry said.

Her family said she loved her three children and was engaged to be married in March.

"She will be missed by her family," David Mitchell Jr. said.

The NTSB said it should have a preliminary report on what happened in about 10 days.

Mitchell's family said she had been traveling in the plane on corporate business.

Cox Media Group