Crime & Safety

2 Killed After Plane Nosedives, Crashes In Paulding Co.

A small plane crash Wednesday in Paulding County claimed the lives of a flight instructor and a flight student, authorities say.

ROCKMART, GA — A flight instructor and a student were killed Wednesday after authorities said a small plane nosedived in a wooded area in Rockmart in unincorporated Paulding County.

The Paulding County Sheriff's Office said Thursday authorities responded around 1:45 p.m. Wednesday after the plane's owner notified them that it had not arrived at its scheduled time.

Flight records showed the plane, identified as a 1974 fixed wing single engine aircraft, departed the Paulding County Airport at 10:24 a.m. and was last seen on the flight tracker in the area of Crawford Road about an hour later.

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The aircraft was tracked to Crawford Road, in a remote part of western Paulding, and authorities said they found two people dead inside of the plane.

Authorities identified the deceased as flight instructor Sungwook Lee, 27, of Daytona Beach, Florida, and flight student Johnathan Lara, 27, of Powder Springs.

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The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the cause of the plane crash.

Authorities asked anyone who may have seen the plane to call the Paulding County Sheriff’s Office tip line, (770) 443-3047.

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