COVINGTON, Ga. – Authorities said there were no survivors aboard a small plane that crashed into the General Mills plant in Covington on Thursday night.
Capt. Ken Malcolm of the Covington Police Department said around 6:45 p.m. a twin-engine Cessna appeared to start having engine trouble. Witnesses told police it was traveling northeast but appeared to be having trouble gaining altitude and was making unusual engine noises. Malcolm said the plane then veered to the right and fell directly into an isolated area of the plant where tractor-trailers are stored.
No survivors after burning plane crash in Covington
Witnesses said a small Cessna appeared to have fallen from the sky near the General Mills plant in Covington on Thursday night. The fire accident, which had no survivors, is now under investigation.
Police said the plane appeared to explode on impact. Witnesses said there were a series of small explosions after the accident. About six trailers that were parked together and believed to be mostly empty caught fire and were damaged after the accident.
“We saw what we think is a wing and possibly an engine part, but right now there’s a lot of charred metal,” Malcolm said.
The captain said investigators still aren’t sure how many were on the flight, but no one survived.
Officials update on deadly plane crash
Capt. Ken Malcom of the Covington Police Department around 8:30 p.m. Thursday provides an update on a deadly plane crash near the General Mills plant.
Police said late Thursday that crews were able to recover one body, but the other body was still in the rubble.
“We are working on a track to determine who the victims of the accident were,” the captain said.
No one on the ground was injured due to the crash.
“The fact that it didn’t hit the plant saved a lot of lives,” Malcolm said.
A huge plume of dark smoke could be seen rising over the Georgia city, located about 30 miles southeast of Atlanta.
A small explosion is heard after the crash of a burning plane in Covington
A FOX 5 viewer shared this video moments after a plane crash at the General Mills plant in Covington, Georgia on April 21, 2022.
Photos provided to FOX 5 Atlanta show a plume of thick, dense smoke coming from the plant and several damaged tractor trailers. Fire crews could be seen extinguishing the flames.
The plant located at 15200 Industrial Park Blvd. NORTHEAST. It is about eight-tenths of a mile southeast of the eastern edge of the Covington Municipal Airport runway.
While police initially believed the flight took off from the nearby airport, FlightAware data suggests the flight was on its way back and could have trouble landing.
The accident site at the plant is about 300 feet away from the plant.
Police said crews will be on scene through the night working to secure and investigate the crash.
The cause of the accident is being investigated by the FAA and the NTSB.
The crash site is about 30 miles southeast of Atlanta.
The General Mills plant produces cereals.
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