DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — Four people were on board a plane that went off the runway at DeKalb Peachtree Airport Monday morning.
Officials said the Beech 400-A overshot the runway at PDK shortly before 10 a.m., slid down an embankment and through a chainlink fence bordering Dresden Drive. The plane's nose gear snapped off and careened across the street narrowly missing several cars and a pedestrian before coming to rest against a storage company fence.
Mark Anderson was driving his SUV down Dresden when he saw the plane sliding off the end of the runway.
"He made a move to miss that barrier at the end," said Anderson. "By that time, I was even with it, so I was looking at it. You could hear the brakes squealing. I saw the tire come off the plane. It rolled and almost hit a gentleman."
Anderson said the engines were still spinning loudly as he rushed over to help. Two people opened the hatch as he arrived.
"I talked to the two guys I helped off the plane," said Anderson. "They were just, 'man, what happened?' and shaken up, you know? (They said) get away from the plane, you could smell the fuel."
DeKalb County Fire Department Chief Edward O'Brien said all four people on board were taken to Grady Memorial Hospital with minor injuries.
Aretha Walker told Channel 2's Manuel Bojorquez she was in her delivery truck on Dresden Drive when she saw the plane go off the runway and straight for her and other drivers.
"The plane almost hit us. If that plane hit us, we probably all would have blown up," Walker said.
Walker said the fence is likely the only thing that came between her and being hit by the plane.
The flight was landing at PDK from Gadsden, Ala.
Firefighters had to deal with a fuel leak from the plane, which had cracks in it after the crash. Dresden Drive was closed as Hazmat crews cleaned up the fuel spill, but reopened around 5:30 p.m.
A National Transportation and Safety Board representative told Bojorquez there was no indication that the pilot reported having trouble to the air traffic control tower, so they are looking into other causes of the crash.
The FAA initially reported that the plane came to a stop on Dresden Drive, but later clarified that the plane did not reach the road.
WSBTV
