Fly High, Mr. Zorn
mrandolphadvance@gmail.com
The community is mourning the loss of a well-known pilot, who tragically passed away from injuries sustained in a plane crash in Tattnall County on Wednesday, June 24.
According to the Tattnall County Sheriff’s Office, dispatchers were notified that an airplane had crashed on Highway 144 in the Tyson Community, just west of Glennville, at 5:59 p.m. Tattnall County Fire and Rescue, Tattnall County EMS, Tattnall County Emergency Management Agency (EMA), Glennville Fire Department, and Tattnall County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene.
Pilot and only occupant of the plane Tony Zorn, of Lyons, passed away from injuries sustained in the crash.
Zorn was well-known in the community for his aviation skills, as he spent decades flying experimental and ultralight aircraft. After news of his passing, numerous community members reminisced about memories of him “buzzing” individuals along the shores of the Altamaha River and other bodies of water. Some people even recalled times when he would land the plane on the sandbars of the river, or make the wing of the plane to move up and down to “wave” at people on the sandbar.
The crash was turned over to the Federal Aviation Administration on Wednesday, but the Association has been working to determine whether the plane was an ultralight vehicle, meaning it could not be federally investigated.
