Neighbors thankful no one was seriously hurt in St. Simons Island plane crash

ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. — Christmas is around the corner, but it wasn't Santa's sled on a Circle Drive roof, or his plane for that matter.

"There was debris and it looked like it had gotten tangled in the vines and the trees," witness Allie Cox said.

Around 11 Tuesday morning, a Piper PA-32 made a crash landing. It's believed the pilot was trying to land a quarter mile away at Malcolm McKinnon Airport on St. Simons Island, but didn't make it. Parts of the landing gear pierced the home and fuel was leaked.

In result, neighbors were forced to keep their distance. Many of them heard the impact before they saw it.

"Sounded like a very, very heavy tree limb," witness Ed Flavell said.

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Thankfully, the two passengers walked away with just bumps and bruises.  The elderly couple inside the home also made it out OK, and will be staying with a neighbor for the night. They are searching for their cat, who was there for the ordeal.

"We're very fortunate that the folks in the home were shocked and alarmed, but weren't hurt. It's a miracle," said Jay Wiggins with Glynn County Emergency Management Agency.

After hours of waiting, a crane was brought in to get the aircraft down. We watched as crews secured it and heard crunching as it was lifted.

It's an incident that's never been seen here before.

"Tough day for them. It is, but lucky for everyone that there wasn't an explosion, fire or anything like that," Flavell said.

The Glynn County Airport Commission said the aircraft reported engine trouble to air traffic control during the flight. The FAA is now investigating.

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