Two pilots survive small plane crash in Doraville in a 'Christmas miracle'

Plane crashes in DeKalb County injuring 2 people

Two people walked away from a plane crash with minor injuries, officials say.

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. - Two pilots survived what authorities are calling a "Christmas miracle" Sunday morning after their plane crashed into a DeKalb County neighborhood.

What we know:

The aircraft, a Beechcraft B90 King Air, was en route from Miami to DeKalb-Peachtree Airport when it diverted due to engine trouble just a few miles from the runway. According to investigators, the plane clipped a 60-foot-tall tree before landing in a residential area near the boundary of Dunwoody and Doraville.

"It is an absolute Christmas miracle that two people crashed in an aircraft and walked away from it," said Doraville police Assistant Chief Brian Harris. "And no one on the ground was injured."

The pilots were taken to a hospital with minor injuries, but the impact left debris scattered across several yards. 

What they're saying:

The crash hit particularly close to home for 89-year-old DeWitt King. He was at church when a neighbor called to tell him a plane had clipped his house and landed in the yard next door.

"I probably would have had a heart attack if I had been inside," King said.

When King returned to the home where he has lived for 42 years, he found a piece of the aircraft in an unexpected place. "I had to go in through the garage and one of the landing wheels of the plane was laying against my garage door," he said. "When I opened the door, it fell over into my garage."

Despite the damage to his property, King, who turns 90 on Monday, said he is simply grateful the pilots survived. "The house is one thing, but I wouldn't want those people to lose their lives either," King said. "It felt very good that they were safe."

What's next:

The NTSB and FAA are currently investigating the cause of the crash. City officials have cleared King to remain in his home.