A preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board says the pilot of a small plane that crashed in Dawson County last month was trying to make an emergency landing at the time.
The plane crashed on Goodson Road February 19 after the pilot decided to try to land on the road after the plane's oil pressure reached zero.
"According to the pilot, he had recently purchased the airplane and was flying it back to his home airport," the NTSB report states. "Prior to the flight, he added 1/2 quart of oil to bring the oil level up between 3.5 and 4 quarts. About 30 minutes after he departed, the pilot noticed the oil pressure was dropping. He reduced engine power and turned the airplane toward Lee Gilmer Memorial Airport...Gainesville, Georgia. He watched the oil pressure decrease until it reached zero, therefore, he decided to perform a precautionary landing on a road."
Two of the plane's wheels struck the grassy side of the road, causing it to skid across the road and into a tree and ditch. The pilot, who was not identified in the report or in earlier police reports of the incident, crawled from the wreckage, unhurt.
According to the NTSB report, he told investigators he was flying from Jefferson to Layfayette, Georgia, when the trouble started.
Click here to read the complete NTSB report.
