Small plane crashes into busy Atlanta highway; 4 killed

[Lite Beer]

Small plane crashes into busy Atlanta highway; 4 killed
DAVID GOLDMAN, Associated Press


ATLANTA (AP) — A small passenger airplane dropped from the sky and grazed the hood of a truck before it crashed into a major Atlanta highway Friday, killing all four people aboard and starting an intense fire on the busy road.

The Piper PA-32 apparently ran into trouble not long afterward taking off, Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Kathleen Bergen said.

Witnesses said the blaze prevented anyone on the ground from helping any victims in the wreckage. Those who tried included commercial truck driver Gerald Smith.

Smith said that as the aircraft plummeted, he had just enough time to slam on his brakes. He saw the plane swooping in low toward the passenger door of his tractor-trailer.

DeKalb Fire Capt. Eric Jackson said all four people onboard died in the crash, though authorities did not immediately release the names of the victims. The plane nearly struck a vehicle driven by a former DeKalb County firefighter and a truck.

The tail, other wreckage and charred concrete could be seen at the median barrier where the plane crashed. Smaller debris littered the area, including a propeller lying on the roadway about 40 feet (12 meters) from most of the wreckage.

Emergency officials shut down Interstate 285 in both directions, causing large traffic jams. The Georgia Department of Transportation said some lanes near the crash site could be closed for eight hours.

Jackson said the scene of the crash needed to be preserved so investigators can determine what happened.

-- (c) Associated Press 2015-05-09

[NeverSure]

Sad. RIP.

This area is beautiful but not a place to try to land. It's very heavily wooded with Southern Pine and Oaks. It's also mildly hilly. Probably the only place to try to set it down is on a highway. BTW this is a six place single engine plane which needs a bit of speed and area to land. I have no idea why they hit so hard or why it isn't on the freeway even if wrecked.

CNN

Edited May 9, 2015 by NeverSure

[cardinalblue]

Why close both directions? Damn too cautious and an over-reaction least keep the furthest direction open...

Never seen in LOS any lane closed due to an accident...

I have rolled by road victims less than five feet from my vehicle...

Practical is to meet somewhere in the middle between the two countries' strategy plans...

CB

[Argus Tuft]

Why close both directions? Damn too cautious and an over-reaction least keep the furthest direction open...

I can think of a couple of reasons given the photo in the OP.

Slight wind change could have that thick black smoke straight over the other side of the highway for a start.

Plus they may have been concerned about further explosions from the fuel.

Doesn't seem too cautious to me.

RIP to the victims, awful way to go.

[RichinThailand]

Why close both directions? Damn too cautious and an over-reaction least keep the furthest direction open...

Never seen in LOS any lane closed due to an accident...

I have rolled by road victims less than five feet from my vehicle...

Practical is to meet somewhere in the middle between the two countries' strategy plans...

CB

The best reason to close both lanes is public safety. A major accident draws attention of drivers in the open lanes, and leads to rear end collisions quite often. Also, it improves the access for emergency equipment and safety of firefighters while battling the blaze.

I wouldn't consider LOS conduct at accident scenes as an example that I would like to follow or have followed!!!

In answer to NeverSure's question...the plane is on the freeway. but most of the shell of the plane is melted so you have the engine and support structure remaining. You might notice in the video the tail dropping...this is from the heat of the fuel fire melting the majority of the plane.