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2 injured in small plane crash in Paulding County
Paulding County Sheriff Ashley Henson reported a single-engine plane carrying an 18-year-old student and 22-year-old instructor crashed off Highway 278. Both men survived, called 911 from the wreckage, and were hospitalized in critical condition.
PAULDING COUNTY, Ga. - Two people were taken to the hospital in critical condition after a small plane crash in Paulding County on Thursday evening, according to the sheriff's office.
What we know:
The crash occurred in a wooded area off Hulsey Town Road near Highway 278 West, roughly a quarter-mile into the woods and just east of the Paulding County Airport.
Emergency dispatchers received a 911 call from the occupants inside the downed aircraft around 8:06 p.m., with firefighters and deputies arriving on scene by 8:09 p.m.
Responders located the single-engine aircraft and extricated both victims, identified as an 18-year-old student pilot and a 22-year-old flight instructor.
Sheriff Ashley Henson stated that both men were conscious and speaking when rescuers reached them. Initial observations indicate the plane was pointed away from the airport at the time of the impact. Henson said the men were in critical condition.
Henson added that the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration had been notified.
What they're saying:
Sheriff Ashley Henson commended the rapid response of emergency personnel who navigated the woods to rescue the survivors.
"I think probably the most important thing to talk about right now is the fact that we’ve got two individuals who were in the plane at the time of the crash, and they are both alive," Henson said. "I think it’s most important that we pray for those individuals and their families."
Henson praised the joint effort between the Paulding County Fire Department and sheriff's deputies, noting they brought the victims up the hill to medical teams "extraordinarily fast."
What we don't know:
Authorities have not released the names of the 18-year-old student or the 22-year-old instructor, nor have they confirmed where the flight originated or its intended destination.
The cause of the crash remains unknown and is under investigation by federal aviation officials.
The Source: The information in this story came from a Facebook post from the Paulding County Sheriff's Office and a live press briefing held by Paulding County Sheriff Ashley Henson and Paulding County EMA Director Stephen Dooley.