Husband, wife killed in plane crash near Covington airport

A husband and wife were killed when a small plane crashed shortly after takeoff Saturday night in Newton County, officials said.

Police responded to Covington Municipal Airport at about 11:20 p.m. after receiving a call from the Federal Aviation Administration that a single-engine plane had taken off about 20 minutes earlier.

“There was no further communication from the aircraft after takeoff,” police said. “Officers located the aircraft in the woods just north of the runway.”

According to the FAA, the Rockwell Commander airplane crashed near the airport around 11:40 p.m.

The two victims were found a short time later and pronounced dead at the scene. They were identified by police as 59-year-old Janet Hardee and 62-year-old James Hardee.

The crash is being investigated by the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board, officials said.

— Please return to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution for updates.

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