Pilot Dies In Plane Crash

GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga.,None — A pilot was killed after a small plane crashed in Gwinnett County Saturday afternoon, according to the Gwinnett County Medical Examiner's Office.

The plane crashed at 590 Briscoe Blvd. in Lawrenceville near Briscoe Field, firefighters said.

After takeoff, the plane made a left turn and crashed, Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Kathleen Bergen said.

Witnesses said they could hear the engine sputtering. The plane crashed into a ditch and bounced onto a chain link fence in front of a nearby business, firefighters said.

Channel 2's Tony Thomas was at the scene, where the plane was crumpled in the business parking lot just off the runway.

PHOTOS: Small Plane Crashes | Pilot Dies In Plane Crash

The plane, built in 1946, was registered to Gainesville resident Timothy Blake, according to FAA documents. Blake was piloting the plane when it crashed, authorities said.

Sources at the scene told Thomas Blake was planning to fly to Florida, where he was selling the plane. There were reports that he had been fixing the plane to prepare for the flight.

James Nation, WSB-TV Plane Crash IM

Blake was transported to Gwinnett Medical Center with serious injuries. He died on Saturday evening, Gwinnett Medical Examiner's Office officials said.

There were no other passengers on the plane, firefighters said.

WSBTV