2 dead after plane crashes into townhomes in metro Atlanta

The crash happened at the Clairmont Hills Townhouses at 10:30 a.m.

The FAA confirms a Piper PA-28 crashed shortly after departure from Runway 21 Left at DeKalb-Peachtree Airport.

Fire Capt. Deon Bentley said the two people onboard the plane died. No one inside the townhome complex at the time of the crash.

The DeKalb County fire marshal declared six units in the townhome complex unsafe to live in. The declaration was made due to structural damage and fuel vapor.

Pictures from the scene show major damage to one of the buildings. Pieces of the plane were found about 500-feet away from the crash scene.

The visibility at the time of the crash was around 3 miles.

David Youngpeter lives near the crash scene and said he felt the crash.

"I actually felt the reverberation from the impact at which point I came outside," Youngpeter said. "The first thing is it didn't look like a plane because there's nothing left. It must have been a very small plane."

Neighbor Stephan Kohou said he will never forget this day.

"I would never imagine something like that happening and it's really sad," Kohou said.

Neighbor Jared Hauck said he raced out his home when he heard the crash.

"I was very surprised, because I actually walked out my front door and there's a piece of a plane sitting in front of the door," Hauck said. "It really could have just as easily been me. I mean, it must have broken apart in the trees directly in front of my townhouse."

Officials have not determined what caused the plane to go down. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the cause of the crash.

This is a developing story, visit WSBTV.com for updates.