Feb. 17 (UPI) -- Two men died in the crash of a small plane at the Winder, Ga., airport, officials said.
The single-engine Beech C23, a four-passenger plane, was discovered Thursday afternoon near the end of the Barrow County Airport, in suburban Atlanta. FAA spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen said officials are unaware if the plane crashed while arriving or taking off from the airport.
A passerby saw smoke from the crash and notified authorities. Firefighters extinguished a small fire at the site.
"There are some trees that are clipped, and you can see where it went along the runway, but in all actuality it's a fairly compact scene, which is surprising with plane crashes," Barrow County Fire Capt. Scott Dankin told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
The airport has no manned control tower, and there were no witnesses to the crash. A nearby resident, Roger Wehunt, told WSB-TV, Atlanta, that he believed the pilot noted a problem with the plane immediately after takeoff and attempted to "put it in that field."
The identities of the two men aboard the plane were not revealed. The FAA is continuing its investigation, and the National Transportation Safety Board is expected to determine the cause of the accident.
