A retired car dealership owner and his 9-year-old grandson died when an experimental biplane crashed and burned in a wooded area between Carrollton and Newnan early Sunday evening, according to Channel 2 Action News.
Richard Haney, owner of Richard Haney Ford in Carrollton until he retired, was an experienced pilot with a love of flying.
Haney, 70, and his grandson Jeffrey Haney died when the plane crashed after it clipped a 60-foot tree, ripping a wing off, according to the TV station. The plane reportedly went into a low altitude spin before it crashed. The plane was destroyed by fire, according to an FAA official.
“While we are deeply grieved and mourn the loss of these family members, we are comforted to know that they died doing what they loved,” family spokesperson Weyman Rooks said in a press conference attended by Channel 2.
Kathleen Bergen, of the Federal Aviation Administration said the plane was a Steen Skybolt, which is described as an aerobatic biplane.
The flight originated at West Georgia Regional Airport, according to Tim Padgett, director of Emergency Management for Carroll County.
Padgett said the plane went down in a heavily wooded area.
First responders hiked in to the crash site and used hand-held fire extinguishers to fight the blaze, he said. They were guided to the crash site with the help of instructions from personnel in a medical evacuation helicopter hovering overhead, he said.
— Staff reporter Taylor West contributed to this report
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