Lawrenceville, Georgia: Plane Crash Near Gwinnett County Airport Kills zPaper Founder Eric Stephens

One man dead, one injured in the woods off Old Athens Road

A small plane that reported engine trouble crashed into woods beside a residential area in Lawrenceville on Tuesday evening, killing one of the two men aboard and injuring the other. On Wednesday, the man who died was identified as Eric Stephens, 57, of Roswell, the founder of the Roswell technology company zPaper.

What happened on Tuesday evening

Gwinnett County firefighters were sent out at about 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, November 10, after the Gwinnett County air traffic control tower told the county 911 dispatch center that a single-engine aircraft was experiencing an engine issue and was in the trees, county officials said. The crash site was in the 1000 block of Old Athens Road, about one mile southeast of Gwinnett County Airport, also known as Briscoe Field, near Winder Highway and Bacchus Drive.

Firefighters arrived at 5:39 p.m. and found the fixed-wing aircraft in a wooded area next to a residential area, with both occupants trapped inside, officials said. Crews freed both men. One man was found dead, and the other was taken to a local hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening.

The aircraft was a Velocity 173 FG. It had taken off from Briscoe Field about 90 minutes before the crash, according to flight records reported by FOX 5 Atlanta. The pilot reported engine trouble and tried to make an emergency landing. In an exchange reported by FOX 5, the controller asked, "Are you declaring an emergency?" and the pilot answered, "Yes, I'm declaring an emergency." Investigators have not said which of the two men was piloting the plane.

Eric Stephens

zPaper confirmed Stephens' death on Wednesday. "We are deeply saddened by the loss of our founder, Eric Stephens, Ph.D. Eric built zPaper over 20 years and was a mentor and friend to everyone here," the company's chief operating officer, Ken Schumacher, said in a statement reported by FOX 5 Atlanta. News Now Georgia reported that the company said it would keep serving customers without interruption.

Stephens was a longtime member of Roswell United Methodist Church, where he sang in the choir and served as a mentor in the men's ministry, FOX 5 reported. "Eric always saw the best in people and was always trying to help people experience their best," Rev. Derek Porter, the church's lead pastor, told FOX 5. The church said Stephens leaves behind his wife, Cammie, and two daughters. Parishioners prayed at the church on Wednesday evening after receiving word of his death.

The investigation

The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation into the cause of the crash, and the Federal Aviation Administration is also involved. NTSB investigators removed the wreckage from the wooded site on Wednesday. Officials have not determined what mechanical failure caused the engine trouble, and no cause for the crash has been announced.

Gwinnett County police planned to secure the wreckage and close Rock House Road SE at Old Athens Road SE, county officials said. The Gwinnett County Medical Examiner's Office responded to the scene after the FAA cleared it and will determine the cause of death, and the family of the man who died was notified at the scene. Police have not provided an update on the condition of the man who survived.