PLANE CRASHES ON HIGHWAY IN GEORGIA

Ole Miss student’s family killed in a plane crash on the way to his graduation

POSTED 10:52 AM, MAY 8, 2015, BY GEORGE BROWN AND CNN WIRE

ATLANTA, Ga. — A small plane crashed on a major highway that encircles Atlanta on Friday morning, killing all four people who were aboard and severely snarling traffic officials said.

The plane was headed to Oxford and was scheduled to land at 10:58 am.

The pilot has been identified as Greg Byrd of Asheville, North Carolina.

Also on the plane were his sons, Phillip Byrd of Asheville and Christopher Byrd of Atlanta.

Christopher Byrd’s fiance, Jackie Kulzer of Atlanta, was also on the plane.

All four were headed to Oxford to see Robert Byrd graduate from the Ole Miss.

The plane was registered to a company in Asheville, North Carolina.

The single-engine Piper PA-32 slammed onto I-285 just north of Atlanta after leaving nearby DeKalb-Peachtree Airport, the Federal Aviation Administration said, leaving smoldering wreckage near the concrete barrier separating eastbound and westbound lanes.

Students said campus was quiet today as they took a moment to pray for their classmate.

“It makes you just realize how relative everything is. How we really need to stop taking things for granted,” said student Derek Francis.

Investigators don’t know what caused it, and said it could be two weeks before we find anything out.

The plane clipped a tractor-trailer on the way down, the office of DeKalb County Public Safety Director William Miller said.

A second plane, which took off a few minutes earlier and also was headed to Oxford, landed there safely.

No motorists were injured, Dekalb County fire department spokesman Capt. Eric Jackson said.

Blogger note: Our heart felt condolences to the family of the deceased persons!