A day after a small private plane came down in northwest Atlanta, investigators were back at the scene, combing through wreckage. Initial findings into the crash that killed all four aboard a Cessna 560 are expected in 10 days, but a complete report could take 18 months.
“We will look into the man, the machine and the environment,” National Transportation Safety Board investigator Heidi Kemner said during a Friday briefing.
The aircraft crashed about 12:10 p.m. Thursday in English Park, near I-285 at Bolton Road, shortly after taking off from nearby Fulton County Airport.
Victims included Wei Chen, founder and CEO of Memphis-based Sunshine Enterprise, and accountant Danielle Mitchell. A 32-year-old mother of three, she was to be married in March. She lived in Memphis but had relatives in Atlanta, two of whom came to Friday’s briefing.
“She was a brilliant, smart person,” said her uncle, David Mitchell Jr. “She loved her kids and will be missed by her family.”
The other two on board were Sunshine executives John Chen and Bruce Pelynio, the Memphis Commercial Appeal reported.
"Please keep the families and employees of our leadership team in your thoughts and prayers,” a statement from the company read. “Our company is grieving, but we are confident that Sunshine Enterprise will persevere and will continue to serve our customers in the way they expect. With dedication and with care. This is exactly what our leadership team would expect us to do."
Kemner would not discuss details about the investigation or about the victims, only saying the flight was headed to Millington, Tenn., just north of Memphis. She said the plane would be taken to another site to be reassembled.
Chen, survived by his wife and three children, was an avid flier who became the first Chinese citizen to fly a single-engine airplane around the world. News of his death sent shockwaves through Memphis’ business community, where Chen had been a fixture for decades.
“He came over with nothing in his pocket,” his longtime friend and former publicist Tricia Montgomery told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Chen came to Memphis in the late 1990s, from Changsa City, in China’s Hunan Province, where he was born in 1971. He’d come to Tennessee to attend the University of Memphis where he graduated with a business degree in 1998.
“When I came to Memphis, I didn’t speak much English, I didn’t have any money and I didn’t know anyone,” Chen told The Commercial Appeal in 2011. “In the first week, I met my best friend and my future wife-to-be. Then I started my business. Memphis can offer opportunity, if you work hard.”
His business focused on the distribution and wholesale of Chinese manufactured construction equipment. Chen’s rise landed him on Memphis Business Journal’s Top 40 under 40 in 2008. For the last several years he was a board member of “Memphis in May,” the city’s annual celebration promoting tourism and international trade.
“He worked so hard, he worked his way up and was just a blessing to everybody,” said Leigh Shockey, CEO of Drexel Chemical in Memphis. “He has been really instrumental in bringing awareness to the community about international trade.”
Flying was his passion, and his fascination with planes propelled him to pursue a pilot’s license in 2007. With just 250 hours of flying time under his belt, Chen announced he wanted to fly a single-engine plane around the world.
Montgomery was his publicist for the 69-day journey in 2011 and recalled Chen’s joy at landing at the airport to throngs of well-wishers and dignitaries. His trip was documented by Chinese state television.
“And the thing is, he did (the trip) to raise money for St. Jude’s Children’s Research,” Montgomery said.
Chen later wrote a book about the experience. Its title: “Around the World in 69 Days: What Would You Attempt To Do If You Knew You Could Not Fail?”
