On the morning of Friday, May 8th, 2015, a small plane crashed onto I-285, a busy Atlanta highway, during early morning rush hour traffic. The plane had just taken off from Atlanta’s Peachtree-DeKalb Airport, and crashed approximately one mile from takeoff. The plane, a PA-32 (or Piper Cherokee 6), was carrying three men and one woman, all of whom were pronounced dead at the scene of the crash.
The small plane was registered to a private company based out of North Carolina, and the victims were not immediately identified following the tragic crash. Another pilot, whose plane departed shortly before theirs from Peachtree-DeKalb Airport, reported that the group was headed to Oxford, Mississippi, for a graduation ceremony at the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss).
Witnesses report seeing the plane flying dangerously low, and then crashing near the median of the Atlanta highway and bursting into flames. Fortunately, the plane did not come into major contact with any of the surrounding vehicles on the road, although it brushed by a large tractor-trailer as it descended. No motorists were injured as a result of the crash.
Because the crash occurred on one of the city’s busiest roadways, traffic patterns in Atlanta were significantly impacted for the remainder of the day. The crash initially forced both directions of I-285 to close, but authorities were able to open I-285 in the hours after the accident. While the Federal Aviation Administration conducts their investigation of the scene, local authorities reported that the eastbound direction of the perimeter would remained closed for up to 6 to 8 more hours.
Local school districts delayed school dismissal and bus release times for the afternoon in anticipation of the traffic delays. Large tractor-trailers, which are usually required to go around the city of Atlanta on I-285, were temporarily granted permission to pass through the city on I-75, I-85, and I-20.
The Federal Aviation Administration has begun an initial investigation into the deadly crash, but the probable cause has not yet been determined. The aircraft was set to be moved to a site in Griffin, Georgia, after the accident to undergo further investigation. The FAA will examine a variety of potential factors in the deadly crash, including past maintenance records for the plane.
At Atlanta law firm Pope & Howard, P.C., our expert legal team has extensive experience on both sides of aviation accidents. Our compassionate team of attorneys works to help families of plane crash victims navigate the ensuing investigation process and gain fair compensation for their losses.
Plane crashes can be due to a myriad of reasons, including:
• Pilot error
• Defective parts
• Negligence
• Weather
• Poor inspections
If you want to talk to a lawyer at Pope & Howard. P.C. about a plane crash lawsuit, please call 404.885.9999 or fill out our online contact form.
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