Two men were killed in a plane crash in Barrow County on Thursday afternoon, officials said.
What's left of a small plane that crashed in Barrow County. 2 men died . I'm on the scene with the latest on @wsbtv . pic.twitter.com/FECKRYYiOe
— Tony Thomas (@TonyThomasWSB) February 16, 2017
A single-engine, Beech C23 crashed at the end of the runway at the Barrow County Airport in Winder about 2 p.m., Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen said.
Bergen said officials do not know whether the plane crashed while taking off or during landing.
Roger Wehunt, who lives nearby, told Channel 2 Action News he thinks the pilot was trying to land in the field after a rough takeoff.
An AirCrane employee saw smoke from the highway and called 911, Channel 2 reported.
Firefighters arrived first, found the crashed plane in the woods off the property and put out a small fire on the four-passenger plane, Barrow County fire Capt. Scott Dankin told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Authorities believe the crash happened between noon and 2 p.m., when the 911 call was made.
Dankin said the airport is currently open since the crash site is secure and off the property.
“There are some trees that are clipped, and you can see where it went along the runway, but in all actuality it's a fairly compact scene, which is surprising with plane crashes,” Dankin said.
FAA officials will continue to investigate and the National Transportation Safety Board will determine the probable cause of the accident.
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