Atlanta

Officials: Small Plane Crashes Into Home in Atlanta Suburb, Pilot Dead

A homeowner in Kennesaw's Chastain Lakes subdivision says she saw a small plane spiraling down and heard a "huge boom"

A small plane crashed into a suburban Atlanta neighborhood Friday evening, killing the pilot and setting a house ablaze, officials said.

The Cessna Citation I crashed about 7:20 p.m. about 3 miles northeast of Cobb County International Airport, according to FAA spokesman Rick Breitenfeldt.

The plane, on its way from Wilmington, Delaware, to Fulton County Airport, crashed next to a house and exploded, Cobb County Fire Department spokeswoman Denell Boyd told reporters. The house next door caught on fire from the radiant heat and was fully engulfed when the department arrived on the scene, she said.

Boyd said the only known victim is the sole occupant of the plane; everyone in both houses got out safely. The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate.

Tullan Avard, a homeowner in Kennesaw's Chastain Lakes subdivision, said she was sitting outside with a neighbor when they saw the plane fly over.

"It was flying normally, when all of a sudden it starts spiraling down in the distance," she said. "I thought I was imagining it, but all of a sudden I heard a huge boom and saw a huge plume of smoke coming up."

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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