A small plane crashed Tuesday afternoon on the runway of the Covington Municipal Airport in Newton County.
The student pilot, Antenor Velazco, was completing his pilot training hours at the time of the crash, Detective Daniel Seals with Covington police told the AJC.
Velazco, 63, was practicing touch-and-go maneuvers when the Cessna 172 Skyhawk went down and came back up, Seals said. Velazco then lost control of the plane, which crossed into a grassy area near the runaway. He was able to make it out of the plane moments before it ignited, Seals said.
"He has very, very minor injuries," Seals told the AJC. "He's good and nobody else was injured."
Velazco, of Jonesboro, is an orthopedic surgeon.
The plane was rented from DeKalb-Peachtree Airport, Seals said.
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