Plane Crashes At Cherokee County Regional Airport (UPDATED)

BALL GROUND, GA -- Two people have been transported to an area hospital after a plane crashed early Tuesday evening at the Cherokee County Regional Airport.

A Piper Cherokee 140 took off and shortly thereafter, "began to sputter," said Cherokee Sheriff's Office spokesperson Sgt. Marianne Kelley.

According to the Cherokee County Fire and Emergency Services, the plane contained a flight instructor and a male student.

"The flight student had gotten the plane about 200 feet into the air and lost power," Cherokee fire spokesperson Tim Cavender added. "It was at that time that the instructor took the controls to return back to the runway."

The plane missed the runway, went down the embankment and crashed into a fence. After the instructor and the student escaped, the plane caught fire, which was later extinguished by Cherokee County firefighters.

Sgt. Kelley said the occupants suffered no major injuries, but were transported to WellStar Kennestone Hospital as a precaution.

Return to Patch for updates.

Images via Cherokee Sheriff's Office/Cherokee County Fire and Emergency Services