Small plane crashes in Oconee County

Three people were killed Tuesday afternoon when a plane crashed near Athens, according to the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office.

Air traffic controllers lost contact with the Piper PA-46, which crashed at about 4:35 p.m. in the Eastville community, about 10 miles southwest of Athens, the FAA told AJC.com.

The plane was flying from the Columbia Metropolitan Airport in South Carolina to the Tuscaloosa National Airport in Alabama at the time of the crash.

After crashing into a pasture about a quarter-mile off Elder Road, the plane ignited and other explosions were reported, according to the Oconee sheriff’s office. Other nearby roads were temporarily closed while first responders investigated.

No injuries were reported on the ground, the sheriff’s office said late Tuesday. The nearest home to the crash site was about 500 yards away. Berry told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution all three aboard the plane were killed. There were no survivors.

Federal investigators, including the FAA and NTSB, will work to determine the cause of the crash, according to an FAA spokeswoman. The GBI will conduct autopsies on those killed in the crash.

— Staff writer Chip Towers contributed to this report.

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