AUGUSTA, Ga. – An Augusta University employee has died after his small plane crashed into a neighborhood not too far from the campus.

The plane crashed on Thursday a little more than a half mile from Daniel Field, a general aviation airport in Augusta.

Augusta University told local news outlets that the pilot was Jason McKenzie, the associate director of philanthropy at the school. McKenzie had just taken off in a single-engine Beechcraft 36 with plans to fly to New Haven, Connecticut.

It’s unclear what caused the plane to descend. As it was coming down, it clipped a tree and hit power lines, leaving debris in the tree, and then crashed between two homes in the affluent neighborhood, bursting into flames. No one else was injured, and the plane didn’t hit any buildings.

“I think that was a miracle,” resident Lisa Lewis told WRDW-TV. “I think the Lord protected everyone else.”

Neighbors said that while it’s not unusual to hear planes so close to the airport, this one sounded much louder, followed by the boom of the crash. Firefighters knocked down flames that video showed roaring high into the air.

Jason McKenzie (Photo by Michael Holahan/Augusta University)

The Federal Aviation Administration said the National Transportation Safety Board would investigate. Police roped off a residential intersection with burned debris.

Tiger Woods accepted a special exemption for the U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2, the first time the three-time champion has needed an exemption to play.

Woods has been exempt for every U.S. Open since he first played in 1995 as the reigning U.S. Amateur champion. His five-year exemption from winning the 2019 Masters expired last year.

The exemption was expected and likely to be the first of many. The USGA is particular about who is exempt from qualifying, last awarding one in 2021 to Phil Mickelson.

Jack Nicklaus, with four U.S. Open titles among his 18 professional majors, received a record eight special exemptions, including five in a row until he stopped playing the U.S. Open after 2000 at Pebble Beach.

Arnold Palmer received five U.S. Open exemptions, the last one in 1994 when he returned to Oakmont near his hometown for a tearful farewell.

Woods won the 2000 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach by 15 shots, a record margin of victory for any major champion. He added another title in 2002 at Bethpage Black in New York, and he famously won his third U.S. Open at Torrey Pines in 2008 just a week before he had reconstructive surgery on his left knee.

“The U.S. Open, our national championship, is a truly special event for our game and one that has helped define my career,” Woods said in a statement. “I’m honoured to receive this exemption and could not be more excited for the opportunity to compete in this year’s U.S. Open, especially at Pinehurst, a venue that means so much to the game.”

The U.S. Open is June 13-16 at Pinehurst No. 2, which is staging the Open for the fourth time. Woods tied for third, two shots behind the late Payne Stewart, in 1999. He was runner-up at Pinehurst in 2005 to Michael Campbell. He missed the most recent Open at Pinehurst in 2014 while recovering from the first of what would be four back surgeries.

Woods has a long history with the USGA as the only player to win the U.S. Junior Amateur three straight times, followed by the U.S. Amateur three straight times. His nine USGA championships are matched only by amateur great Bobby Jones.

Woods earlier this year was selected to receive the Bob Jones Award, the highest honour from the USGA.

“The story of the U.S. Open could not be written without Tiger Woods,” said John Bodenhamer, the USGA’s chief championships officer. ”From his 15-stroke victory at Pebble Beach in 2000 to his inspiring win on a broken leg at Torrey Pines in 2008, this championship is simply better when Tiger is in the field, and his accomplishments in the game undoubtedly made this an easy decision for our special exemption committee.”

It will be the first time Woods competes in the U.S. Open since Winged Foot in 2020, held in September before no fans because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

He crashed his car in Los Angeles and badly injured his right leg and ankle in February 2021, causing him to miss the U.S. Open’s return to Torrey Pines. While he returned to competition a year later, the U.S. Open at Brookline in 2022 was the only major he didn’t play. A year ago, Woods had surgery to fuse his right ankle after the Masters and did not play the rest of the year, missing the U.S. Open’s debut at Los Angeles Country Club.

Woods last contended at the U.S. Open in 2010 at Pebble Beach, where he shot 66 in the third round but then closed with a 75 and tied for fourth.

He is expected to play in the PGA Championship in two weeks at Valhalla, where he won in 2000 on his way to capturing all four majors consecutively. Woods said during a round of appearances on NBC shows earlier this week to promote his clothing line that his plan was to play the remaining three majors.

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – A company that makes lightweight components for the mobility and energy industries will invest more than $184 million in a new manufacturing facility in Augusta.

The GF Casting Solutions plant will create 350 jobs for Richmond County, according to the announcement from Gov. Brian Kemp.

The company, a division of Switzerland-based Georg Fischer AG, produces parts made from aluminum, magnesium, iron and super alloy for light vehicles, trucks, aerospace, energy, off-highway vehicles and industrial applications.

The facility at the Augusta Corporate Park will produce cast aluminum parts, with a special focus on large structural components for the automotive industry.

Operations are expected to begin in 2027.

LOCAL JOBS:

• The company will hire for roles in manufacturing and automation over the next few years. Jobs will be posted as they become available, and interested individuals can learn more about careers with GF at www.georgfischer.com/en/career.html.

“I am truly excited to see the second, large European investment in the Augusta Corporate Park,” said Mayor Garnett Johnson.

He said the city and the Augusta Development Authority have worked to make the location “a premier industrial park in the Southeast United States with our investment in water, sewer, roads, and growing our workforce.”

Also at the Augusta Corporate Park is a metal recycling plant owned by European company Aurubis.

“Georgia is proud to carry the title of the No. 1 state for business to companies across the globe, bringing opportunities to communities in every corner of the state,” Kemp said. “Having met the great team at GF Casting Solutions during our recent mission to Switzerland, we could not be more excited to welcome them to the Peach State. Congratulations to Augusta and Richmond County for securing these jobs of the future for Georgians.”

Carlos Vasto, president of GF Casting Solutions, said the new plant will help the company “become truly global in the e-mobility market.”

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