Thomaston-Upson County Airport shuts down after minor plane crash

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A small plane crash caused a closure at Thomaston-Upson Airport on Friday. (Credit: Upson County Sheriff's Office)

UPSON COUNTY, Ga. - The Thomaston-Upson County Airport is closed after a minor plane crash on Friday afternoon, according to the sheriff's office. 

What we know:

It happened around 2:30 p.m. at the airport on Delray Road, towards the end of the runway near Rocky Bottom Road. 

The sheriff's office said the airplane, which was a 1977 Piper Lance PA-32R, was flying out of Cherokee County, and stopped for fuel in Upson County before going to Sebastian, Florida. 

As the plane was preparing to takeoff, the pilot realized that he wasn't going to get enough lift to clear the end of the runway after retracting the landing gear, the sheriff's office added. 

Authorities said the pilot tried to deploy the landing gear again, but it didn't extend in time before the plane landed, skidded, and hit an antenna past the end of the runway,

No one was injured. There were two people on board the aircraft at the time of the incident.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) was contacted to investigate the incident. 

The Upson County Sheriff's Office said the airport will remain closed until further notice. 

What we don't know:

The FAA has not yet released its preliminary findings on what caused the plane to lose lift during takeoff.

Authorities have not provided an estimated time or date for when the Thomaston-Upson Airport will reopen for flight operations.