Local
Small plane crash in Gwinnett County leaves one dead, one injured
A single-engine Velocity-173 FG crashed in a wooded area near Old Athens Road on Tuesday evening after the pilot reported engine trouble, killing one of two men aboard and injuring the other. Federal investigators are now looking into the cause.
GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. â One man was killed and another was injured Tuesday evening when a small airplane crashed in a wooded area of Gwinnett County after the pilot reported engine trouble, authorities said.
Gwinnett County firefighters were dispatched to the 1000 block of Old Athens Road around 5:30 p.m. after the county's air traffic control tower alerted them that a single-engine plane was in distress and had gone down among trees, according to fire officials. Crews arrived at 5:39 p.m. and found the aircraft crashed in the woods, with both occupants trapped inside.
Rescuers worked to free the two men. One was pronounced dead at the scene, found on the left side of the aircraft; the other was taken to a local hospital with injuries described as non-life-threatening. It was not immediately clear whether the man who died was the pilot.
The plane, identified by the National Transportation Safety Board as a Velocity-173 FG, had taken off from Briscoe Field about 90 minutes before the crash. As it attempted to return, the pilot radioed that the engine was failing, officials said.
Neighbors described a frightening scene. "I heard it like boom. It was like a distant boom," said Natoria Hopgood, who lives nearby. "It smelled like something was burning badly. It was hurting my nose a lot." Firefighters found no active fire when they reached the wreckage.
The Gwinnett County Medical Examiner's Office responded after the Federal Aviation Administration cleared the scene and will determine the cause of death. The FAA and the NTSB have been notified and are investigating what brought the plane down; the NTSB will lead the inquiry and handle further questions. Gwinnett County police will secure the wreckage while the investigation continues.
Rock House Road SE and Old Athens Road SE were closed as authorities worked the scene.
The crash adds to a string of recent aviation incidents in the metro area and raises familiar questions about small-aircraft safety. The Velocity-173 FG is a canard-style experimental plane often built from kits, a category of aircraft that falls under different oversight than commercial planes. Federal investigators have not yet said whether mechanical failure, weather or other factors played a role.
Anyone with information about the flight is asked to contact the NTSB.