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Plane headed to Salisbury crashes; two killed

The small aircraft had just taken off near Atlanta when it crashed into an apartment complex Tuesday morning.

ATLANTA — A small plane headed to Salisbury crashed after take-off outside Atlanta Tuesday morning, according to flight records. Both people on the plane died after the plane crashed into a suburban apartment complex, officials said.

The Piper PA-28 had just left DeKalb-Peachtree Airport when it crashed into the Clairmont Hills townhome complex, which is located near Interstate 85 to the northeast of Atlanta. 

This plane crash turned out to be the difference between life or death for the man who lives at the townhouse where the plane landed. He says he went out for 15 minutes to run errands at the same time the plan came crashing into his home.

RELATED: He left to go run errands at 10:17 a.m. A plane crashed into his townhome 15 minutes later.

"The damage to the townhome was moderate -- a lot of bricks fell...but it’s a small plane," DeKalb County Fire Captain Dion Bentley said. The damage is significant.

Bentley said the biggest challenge was making sure the building was safe to enter before first responders could begin a rescue mission. 

He said there was no sign of any significant fire.

Officials have not confirmed who was on the plane when it crashed.

Flight records showed the plane flew to the Atlanta area from Salisbury Tuesday. The unidentified pilot had filed a return flight path Wednesday to Mid-Carolina Regional Airport in Salisbury.

An Associated Press photographer observed authorities removing a body from the site after 1 p.m. Wednesday.  Fire confirmed the second body just before 4 p.m. 

The FAA is investigating and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will determine the probable cause of the accident.

NTSB says they plan to continue their investigation Thursday by taking a closer look at the crash scene. NTSB Air Safety Investigator Pete Wentz said the plane was a Piper PA-28R N 56258.

"We'll be looking at the pilot, the aircraft itself, and the environment," said Wentz.

He explained they will examine the pilot's medical information, the pilot's ratings, the plane's maintenance records, weather conditions, and other factors that might have caused or contributed to the accident.

"Once we finish the on-scene portion of the investigation, the airplane will be recovered and it will be taken to a secured location for further examination," he added.

The NTSB said a preliminary report about the crash should be available in the next 14 days. 

“The final report for this accident will take somewhere between 12 and 24 months," Wentz said. 

At the time of the crash, the weather observation at DeKalb-Peachtree Airport was reporting light winds, with fog, and light rain. There were overcast clouds as low at 600 feet.

In low visibility conditions, a pilot would likely be flying with the aid of instruments.

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