WARE COUNTY, Ga. — The National Transportation Safety Board will investigate a plane that flipped over after a failed takeoff at the Waycross-Ware County Airport on Tuesday afternoon.
The Ware County Sheriff's Office got a call at 3 p.m. about a single-engine Cessna that overturned at the airport, according to Ware County Sheriff Randy Royal.
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The preliminary investigation indicates that the pilot, 63-year-old Debasish Banerjee from Sylva, N.C., was attempting to take off from a taxiway he thought was a runway.
After Banerjee had fully committed to takeoff, he realized the taxiway was too short and he swerved into a dirt field, traveling about 60 feet before the nose gear dug into the ground, causing the plane to overturn.
There was one passenger on board, 83-year-old Bob Genes from Sylva, N.C., who suffered a small laceration on his forehead and was treated at the scene. Banerjee was not injured, Royal said.
The plane had just refueled and had 80 gallons of fuel on board. It was on its way from Franklin County, N.C. to LaBelle, Fla., said an official with the Ware County Sheriff's Office.
The area has been secured for the NTSB to conduct its investigation on Wednesday.