An Augusta University associate director is hailed a hero after he died in a plane crash while avoiding hurting people on the ground Thursday morning.
Jason McKenzie was the sole occupant of the single-engine Beechcraft Bonanza A36 when it crashed at the heavily populated Hillcrest Avenue shortly before 7:15 a.m.
The aircraft’s left wingtip was ripped off by a tree before it crashed into a yard and burst into flames.
To see also:
“I think that was a miracle. I think the Lord protected everyone else,” a neighbor said.
NTSB Investigator Ralph Hicks confirmed that McKenzie’s last-moment maneuver saved many lives.
“It’s very fortunate that this airplane didn’t hit a house,” he added.
