COBB COUNTY, Ga. — Two of the five victims in a tragic plane crash in North Carolina were residents of Cobb County, including a six-year-old child.
The crash happened over the weekend near the Wright Brothers National Memorial’s First Flight Airport.
Channel 2 Cobb County Bureau Chief Michele Newell learned one of the victims has been identified as Matthew Fassnacht. His relationship with the child is unclear, but both had ties to Cobb County.
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The deadly crash involved a Cirrus SR22 aircraft, which attempted to land at the First Flight Airport but struck trees and crashed in the woods at the national park. All five passengers onboard were killed.
“We will be here for the next several days collecting any perishable evidence such as photographs, video evidence or data from the airplane that will assist with either flight information,” National Transportation Safety Board Aviation Accident Investigator Ryan Enders said.
Neighbors who live near the park say they weren’t sure what had happened, only that they could smell something burning.
“Maybe it was a house or maybe it was a bad car wreck. It was a chemical smell burn. It wasn’t like wood burning and we couldn’t figure out where it was coming from,” Melanie Perry said.
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Cobb County school officials confirmed the child went to Sope Creek Elementary School. They said in a statement:
“Our hearts are with the Sope Creek community following their recent loss. We understand this is a very difficult time for our staff and young learners and so District staff will be available to support them. We ask that the media provide the school community time to grieve.”
Investigators are actively seeking any video footage from doorbell or security cameras near the crash site, speaking with witnesses and looking into the pilot’s background to gather more information about what led up to the crash.
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