A flight instructor had been practicing landings with a student at the Carroll County airport minutes before colliding in the air with another plane, an airport employee said Thursday.
The crash killed three people, including both pilots, at the West Georgia Regional Airport late Wednesday morning. The exact cause of the crash has not been determined, but investigators hope the wreckage removed Thursday will offer clues.
Witnesses believe both single-engine planes were attempting to land at the time of crash late Wednesday morning.
William Lewis Lindsey, 79, was piloting his 1978 Beechcraft Bonanza alone at the time of the crash. Taylor Nicole Stone, a 24-year-old flight instructor, was flying a Diamond DA20 and had a student aboard, according to investigators. The name of the third person, a student from China, was not released Thursday pending notification of family members.
Stone and her student had been practicing “touch and go” maneuvers prior to the crash, according to Randy Williams, the airport’s fixed base operator. A Chattanooga native, Stone was a graduate of Middle Tennessee State and lived in Newnan, where she was employed by Falcon Aviation Academy. A childhood friend said Stone had dreamed of becoming a pilot since she was a young girl.
Lindsey was a longtime College Park resident and veteran pilot, records showed. Family members declined to comment when reached by phone Thursday afternoon.
Both the FAA and NTSB are investigating the crash.
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