Augusta, GA
Pilot Remembered as 'Outstanding Individual' After He Died in Georgia Neighborhood Plane Crash
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(750x171:752x173)/jason-mckenzie-plane-crash-050324-1-fd5c599f2f784db28a4d1be83a76e5b0.jpg?ssl=1 "Pilot Remembered as 'Outstanding Individual' After He Died in Georgia Neighborhood Plane Crash")
Jason McKenzie, a pilot and associate director of philanthropy at Augusta University, is being remembered as an “outstanding individual” after he died in a Georgia neighborhood plane crash, his employer, church and friends confirmed to local outlets.
The single-engine Beechcraft Bonanza A36 that McKenzie was flying crashed along Hillcrest Avenue in Augusta on Thursday, May 2, ABC affiliate WRDW reported. The outlet added that he was the only person on board and that “there were no other injuries” on the ground.
“I think that was a miracle,” a neighbor, Lisa Lewis, told WRDW. “I’m just thankful no one else on the ground was hurt.”
Lewis, who lives on Hillcrest Avenue, described the plane as “way louder than normal, and it got louder and louder and it just sounded like it was right outside the window.” After hearing a “loud banging pop sound,” she told the outlet that her electricity went out.
Then, locals spotted the scene of the crash where the flames “were so tall,” Lewis recalled, adding, “It could have been so much worse.”
According to WRDW, the plane took off from Daniel Field Airport in Augusta and was headed for New Haven, Conn. The aircraft only reached an altitude of 625 feet before crashing. Four minutes after takeoff, it clipped a tree and came down between two homes.
First responders are calling McKenzie a hero, per CBS affiliate WAFB, while Augusta Fire Chief Antonio Burden told WRDW that he “can only credit the pilot for that situation — for not involving another structure.”
Dean Newman, a good friend of the pilot who played golf with him and his son, told ABC affiliate WJBF that the “community has really lost an outstanding individual in Jason McKenzie, and he is going to be greatly missed.”
According to CBS affiliate WIAT, the Federal Aviation Administration shared that McKenzie had 800 hours of flying time last year, and the National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash.
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In a statement shared on Facebook by Will Dyer, a pastor for First Baptist Church of Augusta, he said McKenzie was a “devoted husband, father, and son” who “loved his community, his work, and his church.”
“Jason McKenzie was my friend,” Dyer continued. “We spoke on the phone almost every week and I never left a phone call with Jason where I didn’t have a smile on my face. My life is better because Jason played a role in it.”
McKenzie is survived by his wife, Stephanie, his son, Patrick, and his mother, Becky, the church confirmed to WIAT.
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Augusta University is set to cut the ribbon on a new Student Health Services building on Friday.
The ribbon cutting will be held at 2:30 p.m. at 1465 Laney Walker Boulevard in Augusta.
The event will showcase the field of college health and the role the services have on students’ personal development and academic success.
The clinic relocated to the new space last month to make way for AU’s advanced research and clinical innovation, according to officials.
At the event, there will also be snacks, interactive games and clinic tours.
Copyright 2026 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – There was a large law enforcement presence Thursday morning at a home in west Augusta near Fort Gordon.
The Richmond County Sheriff’s Office and Southeast Regional Fugitive Task Force were in the area attempting to find a suspect, according to deputies.
Witnesses said around 11:25 a.m. that officers had been surrounding a home at Harper-Franklin Avenue and Covington Court.
That’s in a neighborhood of mostly two-story brick-fronted homes built in the past three or four years just east of Jimmie Dyess Parkway and a couple of blocks north of Gordon Highway.
As noon approached, law enforcement had left.
But a Facebook post from earlier did show a large presence,including marked and unmarked cars, and officers all around the house. A witness said police dogs were on the scene, as well.
News 12 has reached out to the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office for information.
Copyright 2026 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Steven Kendrick held a town hall on Wednesday at the Henry Brigham Community Center as he prepares to challenge Augusta Mayor Garnett Johnson.
Kendrick, who serves as chief deputy tax commissioner for Richmond County, previously ran against Johnson in 2022. The town hall was part of Kendrick’s campaign tour as he seeks to unseat the incumbent mayor.
“Some of the people felt as though we really needed to dig a little deeper and we dug a little deeper,” Kendrick said after the meeting. “But that’s how you gain understanding, where everybody’s not going to agree about everything. Some of them we didn’t agree on. I certainly enjoyed the interaction. I learned some things, and I hope they learned some things as well.”
Multiple Commission seats up for election
The mayoral race is not the only contest facing Richmond County voters. Several Augusta Commission seats are up for election across multiple districts.
District 8 will have a new commissioner because Commissioner Brandon Garrett is term-limited and cannot run again. Michael Cioffi and Evett Williams have filed to run for the District 8 seat.
Districts 2, 4, 6 and 10 are also up for election. Stacy Pulliam currently serves in District 2.
Copyright 2026 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
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