Four passengers headed to the University of Mississippi were killed Friday morning when their small plane slammed into a wall along suburban Atlanta's Interstate 285.
Asheville, North Carolina resident Graydon Gideon Byrd III said his 53-year-old son Greg Byrd, grandsons Christopher, 27, and Phillip, 25, along with Christopher's fiancée Jackie Kulzer were all onboard. Also killed was a family dog.
According to WSB-TV, the plane had just refueled at Peachtree-DeKalb Airport; its second stop after leaving its base in Asheville less than an hour prior. At 10 a.m. EST, the Piper PA-32 aircraft went down about a mile from the airport, just as Georgia residents were making their I-285 commute. Byrd reportedly said "hey, we're going down" shortly before impact.
"It looked lit it was struggling," said motorist Don McGhee in speaking with USA Today. "You could see him trying to get the nose of the plane up. It was edging up, and then it just dropped."
I-285 was closed between Ashford Dunwoody and Chamblee Tucker for several hours. George State Patrol didn't open westbound lanes until 1:30 p.m. and eastbound lanes until 3 p.m., just as the afternoon rush was beginning.
"It's a miracle, literally a miracle, that no other cars were hit," said Capt. Eric Jackson of the DeKalb County Fire Department. No one on the ground was injured.
The family was heading to Ole Miss for youngest son Robert's graduation ceremony on Saturday. University officials sent Robert, his family, and friends condolences via Twitter shortly after the fatal crash.
Friends gathered at Greg's house Friday afternoon in remembrance of the retired Buncombe County deputy.
"He was very professional," said Buncombe County Sheriff Van Duncan. "He loved life. He was adventurous. He really did a great job at the sheriff's office."
Paul Krieger, head master of Christ School in Asheville, said they were a close-knit family that stuck together through a divorce. They owned restaurants and real estate, and held leadership positions in the Episcopal Church. Three generations of Byrd's had attended Krieger's private school, including Robert who graduated in 2011.
St. Pius X Catholic High School, where Kulzer was an accountant and 2006 graduate, issued a statement reading, "Jackie is remembered as a wonderful young lady, a very popular, energetic, out-going individual that was always concerned about others. While at St. Pius she was a four-year member of the competition cheerleading squad, and many other campus organizations.
The National Transportation Safety Board is expected to release a preliminary report next week. A final crash report should take six months to a year.
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