CHATSWORTH, GA — A pilot died Saturday after a small plane crashed in Chatsworth, according to Murray County Sheriff Jimmy Davenport. Deputies were sent to the scene at 11:44 a.m. after a family member of the property owner found the wreckage.
The pilot was the only person on board, authorities said. The pilot’s name has not been released, and the sheriff said the person was from Morganton and Blue Ridge.
The aircraft had been traveling from Athens, Tennessee, to Dalton Municipal Airport when it went down.
Crash site found just south of Dalton Municipal Airport
The National Transportation Safety Board said the Aero Commander AC11 came down about a half mile south of Dalton Municipal Airport in Chatsworth. That location places the wreckage close to the airport the pilot was trying to reach.
Officials have not said how far the plane had traveled before the crash or whether anyone on the ground was hurt. The plane’s condition after impact was not described in the initial information released by authorities.
The airport and surrounding area are in north Georgia, where the crash drew a response from local deputies and federal investigators.
Sheriff’s deputies responded after a family member saw the wreckage
Murray County authorities said the first alert came not from the airport, but from the property where the plane came down. A family member of the owner found the wreckage and deputies were dispatched soon afterward.
The timing suggests the crash had already occurred before responders arrived. Authorities did not immediately say when the aircraft lost contact or whether there were any distress calls before impact.
Local law enforcement handled the initial response while the National Transportation Safety Board took over the investigative side of the accident.
NTSB investigator traveling to the accident scene
The National Transportation Safety Board said an investigator was traveling to the site to examine the crash. That step typically begins the process of documenting the wreckage, collecting evidence and determining what may have led to the accident.
At this stage, officials have not identified a cause. No mechanical problem, weather issue or pilot-related factor has been confirmed by investigators.
The NTSB’s review will help establish the sequence of events that led the Aero Commander to go down near the airport.
Only pilot aboard the Aero Commander AC11 was killed
Authorities said the plane carried just one person, and that the pilot died in the crash. No passengers were reported aboard the aircraft.
The pilot’s name is being withheld, and officials have not said when it may be released. They also have not provided further details about the pilot’s flight history or reason for the trip from Tennessee to north Georgia.
For now, officials are focusing on the crash scene and the early stages of the federal investigation.
Questions remain about what caused the north Georgia crash
The crash happened close enough to Dalton Municipal Airport that investigators will likely examine the approach path and nearby terrain as part of the review. Even so, authorities have not said whether the plane was attempting to land when it went down.
As the investigation continues, the key facts remain limited: one pilot dead, a single-engine Aero Commander wrecked in Chatsworth, and federal investigators on the way.
More details are expected once the NTSB begins a fuller examination of the aircraft and the scene.