Son: Crash victims flying to Ole Miss graduation

The four people who died in Friday's plane crash in Atlanta were headed to Oxford for a family member's graduation at Ole Miss Saturday.

Greg Byrd, sons Phillip Byrd and Christopher Byrd, and Jackie Kulzer died Friday when their single-engine Piper Saratoga crashed onto I-285 in Atlanta. The crash occurred five minutes after take off, according to flight tracker www.flightaware.com.

Robert Byrd, a senior at Ole Miss and a member of the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity, told The Clarion-Ledger that his father, Greg Byrd, his two brothers, Phillip and Christopher, and Kulzer, Christopher Byrd's fiancee, were on their way to Oxford for his graduation today. Byrd is receiving a bachelor's of business administration in real estate, Ole Miss spokesman Danny Blanton said.

The plane was listed under an LLC owned by Greg Byrd.

Byrd, 53, obtained his pilot's license on Jan. 22, according to a post on his Facebook page.

Greg Byrd owned the plane with his girlfriend, Theresa Trebon, according to Theresa Trebon's brother, Thomas Trebon. Theresa Trebon was not on board, her brother said.

Byrd owned tanning bed salons in Asheville, North Carolina.

Phillip Byrd also lived in Asheville with his mother, Hope, according to neighbor Margie Metz.

"They were a nice, nice family," Metz said Friday.

"Their family has been around here forever," she added. "It's terribly tragic. That's absolutely horrifying, and it's just a nightmare for everybody."

Christopher Byrd lived in Atlanta and worked as a real estate agent at Cooper Brown Real Estate. A 2010 graduate of Ole Miss, Cooper's social media has posts cheering on the Rebels and the Atlanta Braves with Kulzer. They were to be married in the fall, according to Byrd's coworker, Nicholas Bowman.

Christopher Byrd was "a great guy," Bowman said.

Byrd joined the real estate team in November, and was "a great team player and a pleasure to work with," Bowman said.

He said the entire office was praying for the Byrd family.

Kulzer also attended Ole Miss and was a member of the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority.

"Jackie was an outstanding leader in Kappa Kappa Gamma," the sorority said in a statement. "She served as the vice president of standards and was an active member of other various organizations on campus. We will dearly miss her."

The university released a statement Friday afternoon, calling the crash a heartbreaking tragedy.

"The university is always saddened when we lose members of the Ole Miss family, and we are all heartbroken at the news of this tragedy," said Brandi HephnerLaBanc, vice chancellor for student affairs. "The circumstances of the accident, coming on the eve of commencement, make it even more heartrending. We offer our prayers for Robert Byrd, his extended family and their friends and will do everything we can to offer support and comfort during this time."

The Piper PA-32 took off from DeKalbPeachtree Airport and apparently ran into trouble not long afterward, FAA spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen said.

The plane nearly struck a vehicle being driven by a former DeKalb County firefighter, said DeKalb Fire Capt. Eric Jackson. Witnesses said the blaze prevented anyone on the ground from immediately getting close to the wreckage.

Federal investigators said they will reconstruct the plane to determine what caused the aircraft to go down. Eric Alleyne of the National Transportation Safety Board said he expects the effort to take about two weeks.

The tail, other wreckage and charred concrete could be seen at the median barrier where the plane crashed. Smaller debris littered the area, including a propeller lying on the roadway about 40 feet from most of the wreckage.

"Of course the airplane is somewhat complex, but it shouldn't be a problem," Alleyne said. The plane fueled up before leaving the airport, and it's unclear whether the pilot made any emergency calls after takeoff, Alleyne said. He added that the NTSB will review the plane's maintenance records and the pilot's experience.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Contact Sarah Fowler at sfowler@gannett.com or (601)961-7303. Follow @FowlerSarah on Twitter.