The fatal crash of a small passenger plane happened on Friday morning which left all four people on board dead. Wreckage of the plane crash was seen on an Atlanta interstate after the aircraft had reportedly smashed into a median wall along the highway. Apart from narrowly missing a commercial truck, no other cars had been hit in the accident.
The airplane, which was identified as the Piper PA-32, reportedly took off from DeKalb Peachtree Airport in Chamblee, Georgia. 53-year-old Greg Byrd who was a former deputy in Asheville was the plane's pilot. He was joined by his two sons, Phillip (25) and Christopher (27), and the latter's fiancée, Jackie Kulzer. The four were on their way to Oxford, Mississippi to attend the graduation ceremony of Robert, Byrd's youngest son, at the University of Mississippi.
Don McGhee who witnessed the crash said that the plane almost struck a traffic light pole on the highway.
"It looked like it was struggling," said McGhee. "You could see him trying to get the nose of the plane up."
Capt. Eric Jackson, spokesman for the DeKalb County Fire Department, confirmed that there were four people on board and that all of them died in the crash which occurred at around 10 a.m.
"It's a miracle, literally a miracle, that no other cars were hit," said Jackson.
The plane almost hit a vehicle that was being driven by a former firefighter of DeKalb County.
Gerald Smith, driver of a commercial truck, said that while the plane was going down, he at least had ample time to step on the brakes of his vehicle.
"It grazed my hood, and the next thing I knew, I looked over to my left, and that plane had crashed against the median wall," said Smith. "There was no way to help anybody try to get out of the plane."
Smith added that all he could do was to turn and drop his head as he walked away from the scene.
Highway officials had to close both sides of the Interstate as a result of the crash, causing traffic to vehicles which lasted several hours.
Federal investigators are still trying to determine the cause of the crash. National Transportation Safety Board's (NTSB) Eric Alleyne noted that reconstructing the plane would take around two weeks to accomplish.
"Investigators will remain on the scene of small-plane crash in Dunwoody, Ga., for a few hours: plane is now being moved from I-285," said Alleyne.
By 3:30 p.m., all lanes of I-285 were finally reopened.
