Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Police dashcam captures tragic plane crash on motorway in Atlanta, Georgia

The four people were killed on their way to a family member's graduation

Kiran Moodley
Monday 25 May 2015 09:28 BST
Comments
(Ruptly)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Police in Atlanta, Georgia, have released the dashcam footage from an officer's car, showing the tragic moment a small plane crashed near a motorway, killing four family members.

The footage has emerged one month after 53-year-old Greg Byrd died alongside his fiancee, Jackie Kulzer, and his two sons, who both in their twenties. The group of four were off to see the youngest son, Robert, graduate from the University of Mississippi in Oxford when the tragedy occurred.

The video, released by Chamblee Police Department, shows the small, single-engine Piper PA-32 plane flying at a low angle before disappearing behind a tree. A large black cloud then begins to form.

The police car immediately drives towards the accident in the distance, arriving at the awful crash site, where other cars have stopped in shock.

According to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the pilot, Mr Byrd, was in regular contact with the airport control tower and told them, before the crash, "I'm having some problem climbing here. Were going down here at the intersection."

Those were Mr Byrd's last words.

The exact cause of the crash is still under investigation, with the NTSB’s final report to be released in a few months.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in