Small plane crashes in west Georgia; 2 dead

TALLAPOOSA, Ga. - A small plane crashed in west Georgia on Saturday as it tried to make an emergency landing, killing a husband and wife, authorities said. The couple's adult son survived the crash and was taken to a hospital.

The Cessna 177 went down around 1:40 p.m. west of Tallapoosa near Highway 78, not far from the Alabama state line, Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen said. The plane had departed from Knoxville, Tenn., and was headed to Panama Beach, Fla.

The semi-conscious son taken from the wreckage told rescuers that the plane's single engine stalled.

"They were attempting to make an emergency landing in a field and hit some trees," Hutcheson said. No one on the ground was injured.

The son was burned and flown by helicopter to Grady Hospital in Atlanta.

Hutcheson said the family was from Lynn Haven, Fla. He said he was waiting to release their names until he could notify their family members, likely sometime Sunday morning.

The National Transportation Safety Board will investigate.

A message left for the plane's owner, Kim Woliver of Florida, was not immediately returned.