TALLAPOOSA, Ga. – A small plane crashed in west Georgia on Saturday as it tried to make an emergency landing, killing two people, authorities said. A man survived the crash and was taken to a hospital.
The Cessna 177 went down around 1:40 p.m. west of Tallapoosa near Highway 78, not far from the Alabama state line, Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen said. The plane had departed from Knoxville, Tenn., and was headed to Panama Beach, Fla.
While the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the accident, Haralson County Coroner Danny Hutcheson said a semi-conscious man taken from the wreckage told rescuers that the plane's single engine stalled.
"They were attempting to make an emergency landing in a field and hit some trees," Hutcheson said. No one on the ground was injured.
The burned survivor was flown by helicopter to Grady Hospital in Atlanta. Authorities have not released the names of the victims since they were still trying to notify family members about the accident. Hutcheson said local fire and police officials were waiting for aviation investigators to arrive at the scene.
A message left for the plane's owner, Kim Woliver of Florida, was not immediately returned.
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