Crash near Atlanta

From
http://11alive.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=39519
Video of crash site also on that link.

A twin-engine plane struck the roof of a building in Griffin, Ga., and
disintegrated after its pilot attempted a takeoff from Griffin-Spalding
County Airport Friday afternoon.

Capt. Tommy Jones of the Griffin Fire Department confirmed for 11Alive
News that one person died in the crash. The FAA said two people were on
board the flight, but Jones said he knew of only the one deceased victim
who was found at the scene.

"At this time I can only account for one," Jones said in a live phone
interview on 11Alive News.

The Beech Baron aircraft hit the new Stowe-Woodward building at 1075
Everee Inn Road, striking some maintenance equipment and causing an
immediate fire. Workers were evacuated by officials who feared the
strength of the structure had been compromised by the crash.

"We do have a breach in the roof structure of the facility. There was a
small fire on the inside, which was quickly extinguished by
firefighters," said Capt. Jones.

No injuries were reported of any of the workers who were inside the
building at the time.

"Everybody's fine. The plane crashed on a part of the building that was
unoccupied or low-occupancy level," said Jones.

The building sits at the end of the departure runway, airport manager
Bob Stapleton told 11Alive.Com. Stapleton said the flight started about
12:50 p.m. but he had no information on the occupants.

A worker at Stowe-Woodward told 11Alive News that the plane lost power
before it struck the roof of the building.

Nearly six years ago, in April of 1997, a similar incident occurred as a
DC-4 cargo plane apparently tried to abort a takeoff before crashing
into an abandoned convenient store.

The plane narrowly missed some nearby apartments. Both pilots died. No
one was hurt on the ground. In that incident, the plane had just been
re-certified to fly after being grounded two months earlier for
maintenance problems.

Griffin sits about 30 miles south of Atlanta.

The Stowe-Woodward Company is a supplier of roll coverings.
Stowe-Woodward also has plants in Concord, NH; Ruston, La; and Neenah, Wis.