A 55-year-old Fayetteville man was critically injured when he crashed his small plane Sunday morning at Falcon Field in Peachtree City.

John Ritchey was the only person in his Piper LightSport when he crashed on Atlanta Regional Airport runway 31 toward the end of the field around 9:20 a.m., authorities said.

Ritchey was flown by helicopter to Atlanta Medical Center, where he was listed in critical condition, a hospital spokeswoman said.

Lt. Mark Brown of the Peachtree City Police Department was still on the scene as of 11:15 a.m. and was waiting for representatives of the National Transportation and Safety Board to arrive and begin their investigation, he said. The Federal Aviation Administration also was investigating the cause of the crash.

Brown said the crash site is near Lake McIntosh Park and the Planterra Ridge Golf Club.

—Staff writer Taylor West contributed to this report.

About the Author

Keep Reading

Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Juneteenth, among others, will no longer be considered fee-free days at U.S. National Parks. While the MLK National Historic Park in Atlanta doesn't charge admission, the new schedule will affect such metro Atlanta sites as Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park. (Miguel Martinez/AJC)

Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez

Featured

Fans celebrate in the stands after Cape Verde defeated Eswatini in a World Cup qualifying soccer match at Estádio Nacional in Praia, Cape Verde, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025, to clinch their qualification for the 2026 World Cup. (Cristiano Barbosa/AP)

Credit: AP