Police dispatch recordings capture the fear and shock after the small airplane crashed on I-285 Friday, killing four.

The Doraville Police Department released Sunday audio recordings of two women who called 911, their voices shaking with the rush of adrenaline.

The first woman, unidentified, is screaming and inaudible, as sirens blare in the distance, growing louder. “I can’t understand you,” the dispatcher says calmly.

Another caller is able to state succinctly what happened.

“An airplane just crashed into the barricade wall,” the woman said. “It just flew right over my head.”

The victims were headed to Oxford, Miss., for a graduation ceremony at Ole Miss for Robert Byrd, the son of crash victim Greg Byrd.

Greg Byrd and his sons Christopher and Phillip, as well as Jackie Kulzer, were killed in the crash near Peachtree Industrial Boulevard shortly after takeoff from DeKalb-Peachtree Airport.

Kulzer, a 2006 graduate of St. Pius X High School, and Christopher Byrd were engaged to be married in October.

FAA spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen said control tower traffic recordings are part of the investigation and won’t be released for at least 60 days.

About the Author

Keep Reading

The air traffic control tower is seen on Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025, while smoke rises from the crash site of UPS flight 2976 near Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport in Louisville, Ky. (Jon Cherry/AP)

Credit: AP

Featured

Travelers walk around the baggage claim in the South Terminal at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025. Atlanta is among the airports where the FAA will reduce flights due to the shutdown, and airports are facing a shortage of air traffic controllers. 
(Miguel Martinez/ AJC)

Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez