The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the cause of a plane crash that killed Toccoa businessman Millwood Ashley Dekle.
Dekle was the owner of Dekle Appliance Center on Swift Street in Toccoa. He was originally from Cairo, Georgia. That’s where family members say he was going when the single-engine plane he was flying crashed in a wooded area in northeast Jaspar County on Jan. 6.
Matt Dekle told authorities his father was heading to Cairo to look at purchasing some land, according to Stephens County Sheriff Randy Shirley. His plane went down approximately an hour-and-a-half after taking off from the Toccoa airport.
Authorities were called to the scene by nearby residents who witnessed the fatal crash. The Jaspar County Sheriff’s Office says the 72-year-old Dekle was the only person onboard the Cessna 172.
In addition to his son, Dekle leaves behind a daughter, Landis Hicks, who is a longtime teacher at Habersham Central High School.
It’s expected to take about 18 months before the investigation into the crash is complete.
