Two people are injured but alive after their plane crashed into a wooded area in Georgia.
Authorities say the small, single-engine aircraft went down near Barrow County Airport at about 10.50am on Friday.
“Just before 11:00 AM this morning our Communication Officers received 911 calls reporting a small plane that had crashed near the airport,” Captain Scott Dakin of the Barrow County Emergency Services Department told The Independent. “Upon arrival, firefighters found a small two seater plane on the ground in the woods off Giles Road. Two people self-extricated from the plane. Both suffered injuries and were transported to area hospitals.”
When rescue workers arrived, the plane was badly damaged and on fire, but firefighters were able to quickly put out the blaze.
Two people were aboard, but miraculously were able to pull themselves out of the wreckage. Both were rushed to nearby hospitals, one by ambulance and the other by helicopter.
The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are both investigating what happened.
According to WSBTV, the FAA has said the pilot reported an engine failure just before the crash.
Helicopter footage from the news station shows a pile of white debris amid a dense cluster of trees, some of them burnt. A white door, presumably from the aircraft, sits a few yards away from the wreckage.
The plane, a Cessna C172, smashed down near 241 Giles Road, about half a mile from the airport.
Officials have not released the names of the two victims or their current condition.
