1 dead after plane crash in Statesboro, NTSB investigating

STATESBORO, Ga. (WTOC) - One person is dead after a plane crashed Tuesday night in Statesboro.

It happened in a remote area off of Brannen Road. Details are limited at this time. Sheriff Noel Brown confirmed the crash. The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board were out Wednesday morning investigating.

The Bulloch County Coroner identified the pilot as Catherine Kloess. Kloess is the only person known to have died in that crash so far.

Statesboro Fire, Bulloch County Sheriff’s Office and Georgia State Patrol all responded to the scene.

The NTSB says the investigation will take awhile.

“I want to stress that we are in the preliminary fact-finding stage of the investigation. Our investigation is comprehensive. We’ll do our best to determine the probable cause of the accident, and also the report will be accompanied by a factual analysis report,” said Adam Gerhardt, NTSB Investigator.

WTOC spoke to a woman who has a business right next to the spot where this crash happened. She also knew Kloess and can’t believe this happened to someone she knew and happened so close to her.

Federal investigators walked the scene Wednesday to record every detail to try and figure out what happened that caused the crash. Investigators will take all the parts and determine in anything occurred in the machinery, the engine or whether weather conditions played a part in the crash.

Speaking to neighbor Aline Davis, she says Kloess lived nearby for a period of time and possibly looked for that field when she knew the plane was going down.

Federal investigators will have a preliminary report ready within the next two weeks. But the final report could take 12 to 18 months.

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