COVINGTON, Georgia – Officials said there were no survivors aboard a small plane that crashed at the General Mills plant in Covington early Thursday night.
Captain Ken Malcolm of the Covington Police Department said that around 6:45 pm the twin-engine Cessna, which investigators said took off from Covington Municipal Airport, appeared to have started to have engine problems. Witnesses told police he was traveling northeast, but appeared to be having trouble gaining altitude and making unusual engine noises. Malcolm said the plane veered to the right and landed directly in an isolated area of the plant where tractor trailers are stored.
Officials report the deadly plane crash
Capt. Ken Malcolm of Covington Police Department reported information about a fatal plane crash near the General Mills plant at about 8:30 p.m. on Thursday.
Police said the plane appeared to have exploded on impact. About four trailers, which were parked together and are believed to be mostly empty, caught fire and were damaged after the crash.
“We’ve seen what we believe is a wing and probably part of an engine, but again it’s very charred metal right now,” Malcolm said.
The captain said investigators were still unsure how long they had been on the flight, but no one had survived.
Police said they were unable to identify anyone on board.
“We are working on a trail to determine the victims of the crash,” the captain said, adding that there may have been only one person on board.
No one was injured in the crash.
“The fact that it didn’t crash in the factory saved a lot of lives,” Malcolm said.
Huge dark smoke can be seen rising over the city of Georgia, located about 30 miles southeast of Atlanta.
The photos provided to the FOX 5 Atlanta show a cloud of thick smoke coming from the factory and several damaged tractor trailers. Fire crews are seen putting out the fire.
The plant is located at 15200 Industrial Park Blvd. NE. It is located about eight-tenths of a mile southeast of the runway at Covington Municipal Airport.
In fact, the crash site at the plant is about 300 feet from the plant.
Officials say plane crashed at General Mills plant in Covington, Georgia on April 21, 2022 (Chris Maxwayne)
Police said teams will be on site all night to guard and investigate the crash.
The cause of the crash is being investigated by the FAA and NTSB.
The crash site is about 30 miles southeast of Atlanta.
The General Mills plant produces cereals.
This story is shattering. Check again for details. If you have additional information, photos or video email newstipsatlanta@fox.com.
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