Four Dead in Small Plane Crash on I-285 in Dunwoody; NTSB Providing Update

Four people have been killed after a small plane crashed on Interstate 285 in Dunwoody on Friday morning.

According to WSB-TV, the aircraft had just taken off from Peachtree-DeKalb Airport when it came down on I-285 eastbound near the Peachtree Industrial Boulevard exit. The pilot had an issue on takeoff and said “we’re going down” over the radio just before the crash, the station says.

Dr. Cedric Alexander, DeKalb County’s police chief, says that the passengers of the plane were three men, a woman, and a pet, WSB-TV reports. WLOS out of Asheville, NC, reports that the victims are Greg, Christopher, and Phillip Byrd of Biltmore Forest, and Jackie Kulzer, engaged to be married to one of the Byrds.

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The FAA tells WSB-TV that the crashed aircraft was a Piper PA-32 that took off from runway 3 right. Data from FlightAware.com show that the only Piper PA-32 scheduled to take off from the airport at the time of the accident carries a registration number of N5802V.

N5802V was scheduled to reach Oxford, MS at 11:53 a.m., but FlightAware lost track of the aircraft at 10:04 a.m. The FAA has confirmed that the plane that crashed was heading to Oxford, making N5802V the most likely candidate.

NTSB investigator Eric Alleyne said during a press conference that the wreckage of the aircraft was being collected and transported to Griffin for further examination. Alleyne said he planned to have the remains of the aircraft re-assembled in two weeks, but a full report on the accident could take anywhere from six months to one year.

Alleyne told reporters that he had a “laundry list” of factors, such as maintenance records and the pilot’s flight experience, that he typically looks for when investigating a plane crash. However, he added that he won’t have any specific theories to focus his investigation on until he gets the plane re-assembled in Griffin.

The interstate, which rings the city of Atlanta and is one of the busiest highways in the country, has been affected by the wreck, with some parts of the interstate closed for up to eight hours, WSB-TV reports. I-285 westbound re-opened at approximately 1 p.m., WSB-TV reports, while officials say they hope to have eastbound I-285 open in time for rush hour. Tractor trailers are being allowed to use interstates 75 and 85 to clear traffic jams, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Some DeKalb County schools are extending their days due to the traffic delays; according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the Chamblee, Dunwoody and Cross Keys feeder system schools will remain open until all students make it home. Each affected school will provide food, supervision, and shelter for as long as needed.

A tweet sent out by the Dunwoody Police Department reports that the crash happened at approximately 10:10 a.m.

Stay with Patch as we learn more about this breaking news situation.

Photo Credit: DeKalb County Fire Rescue