Two Injured After Small Plane Crashes in Paulding County

PAULDING COUNTY, Ga. – Two people were injured Thursday evening after a single-engine airplane crashed in a wooded area of western Paulding County, according to authorities.

The crash was reported shortly after 8 p.m. Sept. 3 in the area of Hulseytown Road, east of Paulding Northwest Atlanta Airport. The aircraft went down approximately a quarter-mile into the woods, according to the Paulding County Sheriff’s Office.

The two people aboard the aircraft were identified as an 18-year-old student pilot and a 22-year-old flight instructor. Both were initially transported to area hospitals in critical condition.

Remarkably, the occupants were able to call 911 from the wreckage and provide dispatchers with a general location. Emergency crews arrived within minutes and entered the wooded area to locate the aircraft and rescue the two men.

Paulding County Sheriff Ashley Henson said the aircraft was located roughly a quarter-mile into the woods. He assisted emergency personnel in bringing the injured occupants up a hill from the crash site.

Both men were conscious and speaking when rescuers reached them, according to authorities. The Paulding County Sheriff’s Office later reported that both victims had stabilized and were expected to recover, although the extent of their injuries has not been publicly released.

The aircraft has been identified as a Piper PA-28, and the National Transportation Safety Board has opened an investigation into the crash. Investigators are expected to examine the pilots, aircraft and circumstances surrounding the flight, including flight tracking information, air traffic control communications, maintenance records and the pilots’ qualifications and recent experience.

Authorities have not released the names of the two occupants.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation. Officials have not determined whether the aircraft was attempting to land at Paulding Northwest Atlanta Airport or whether an emergency had been declared before the crash.

The NTSB is asking anyone who witnessed the crash or has surveillance footage or other information that could assist investigators to contact the agency.

A preliminary NTSB report is expected within approximately 30 days, while a determination of the probable cause could take significantly longer.