EATONTON, Ga. – Five family members aboard a flight from Florida to New Castle, Indiana died in a Friday afternoon crash in rural Georgia.
The people on board were on their way to Indiana for a funeral.
Howard R. Sills, sheriff of the Putnam County, Georgia, Sheriff’s Department, said the Piper 31T twin-engine turboprop aircraft crashed about 3:30 p.m. Friday in a forest and burst into flames. The crash was about 6 miles northeast of Eatonton, which is about 50 miles southeast of Atlanta.
The family was flying from Williston, Florida. The Federal Aviation Administration is expected to begin an investigation Saturday morning.
Larry Ray Pruitt, 67, of Morriston, Florida, piloted the aircraft. Also aboard the plane were his daughter, Jody Rae Lamont, 43; her husband, Shawn Charles Lamont, 41; their children, Jayce Lamont and Alice Lamont, both 6. All of the Lamonts are from Gainesville, Florida.