4 dead in plane crash on Atlanta highway

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — A small airplane crashed after take off from DeKalb–Peachtree Airport in Atlanta on Friday morning.

The plane crashed onto I-285 east at Peachtree Industrial Boulevard. Traffic was immediately shut down in both directions.

The victims of the crash have been identified as Christopher Byrd, Greg Byrd, Phillip Byrd and Jackie Kulzer.

Christopher Byrd and Jackie Kulzer were planning to get married Oct. 17.

Officials say there was also a pet onboard the plane.

WSB-TV Mark Winne says a source told him the pilot "calmly" reported an issue "climbing out" and said "hey, we're going down."

Witnesses say they felt the impact of the plane crash on the interstate.

"The impact was large, like a bomb being dropped," said witness Don McGee.

Another witness, Blake Green, says the plane propeller flew off on impact. He said the impact sounded like a bomb.

Patt Epps, who said his company fueled the plane, saw the unidentified owner just before the incident.

“He just came in to pick up a couple of folks and a dog,” said Epps, founder of Epps Aviation at DeKalb-Peachtree Airport.

The FAA tells Channel 2 Action News it was a Piper PA-32 aircraft registered to a private company in Asheville, N.C., that went down after departing from Runway 3 Right.

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The FAA tells Channel 2 Action News it was a Piper PA-32 aircraft that went down after departing from Runway 3 Right. It was flying to Oxford, Mississippi.

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Channel 2's Aaron Diamant reports the plane is owned by LLC in Asheville, North Carolina. The plane may have been a refueling stop at PDK.

Triple Team Traffic's Mark Arum says sources tell him the interstate may be closed for at least 8 hours.

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The FAA is on the ground and is beginning their investigation.

Some schools are closing early in the area.