AUGUSTA, Ga. — A pilot has died after a single-engine plane crashed into the front yard of a home in Augusta, Georgia, on Thursday morning, according to Fire and Emergency Management Agency officials.
Firefighters said they responded to the front yard of a home near Walton Way, a little more than half a mile from Daniel Field, a general aviation airport in Augusta. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said the single-engine Beechcraft 36 plane crashed around 7:10 a.m., with only the pilot on board.
Augusta University told local news outlets that the pilot was Jason McKenzie, the associate director of philanthropy at the school. McKenzie had just taken off in a single-engine Beechcraft 36 with plans to fly to New Haven, Connecticut.
It’s unclear what caused the plane to descend.
Officials said as it was coming down, it clipped a tree and hit power lines, leaving debris in the tree, and then crashed between two homes in the affluent neighborhood, bursting into flames.
No one else was injured, and the plane didn’t hit any buildings.
The Richmond County Sheriff's Office said the FAA also advised it to close the intersection of Hillcrest Avenue at Belmont Drive for the next 48 hours. The sheriff's office is asking drivers in the area to use alternate routes.
The FAA said it and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the circumstances surrounding the crash.
Fire crews on the scene captured photos of the aftermath of the plane crash. The photos show the plane up in smoke and a propeller lying on the side of the road.
Photos | Small plane crash in Augusta, Georgia
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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