LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. -- Officials said at least one person was killed and three others hurt in the crash of an airplane in a Lawrenceville neighborhood late Monday afternoon.
The crash happened near the intersection of Simmons Circle and Spring Circle around 5 p.m.
The plane, a twin-engine Beechcraft, had just taken off from nearby Briscoe Field, and narrowly missed houses in the neighborhood where it came down.
Officials said the plane was engulfed in flames when firefigters arrived on the scene. According to officials, the deceased victim was the pilot of the plane. The three other victims -- all passengers on the plane -- were able to walk away from the crash and were taken to Gwinnett Medical Center.
Images from 11Alive's Skycam showed that the plane landed among trees in the yard of a home in the Lawrenceville neighborhood where it came down.
Gwinnett County Fire Captain Tommy Rutledge said the plane was engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived on the scene. "There were four people on board the plane," Capt. Rutledge said. "The pilot was still inside the plane when firefighters arrived."
Bergie Frazier was at a nearby business when he saw the plane in trouble overhead. "When the plane took off you could tell something was wrong right away and I said that planes going to crash."
Witnesses said they heard the crash, then heard an explosion. Antonio Gates was playing video games in the basement of a home the plane barely missed hitting. "We went out the back door and the whole thing was on fire," Gates said. Gates said he saw three passengers come out of the plane. He said one looked like he was hurt badly. "The dude came out and his face was bloody, he was like help me, help me, so we called the police," Gates said.
Andrea Wehrman, a spokesperson for Gwinnett Medical Center, said the most seriously injured passenger was transported to Grady Hospital in critical condition. Wehrman said the two other passengers could be released Monday night.
The plane first clipped a tree in front of a home barely clearing the roof. Melinda Irvin was in that home. "I was just glad that we didn't get hit," Irvin said.
"It came extremely close," Capt. Rutledge said. "This is a heavily residential area. We're very fortunate that the pilot was able to put it down in the woods with no injuries to people on the ground."
