Plane wreckage found in forrest near Heflin, AL

A small plane bound for Kennesaw that crashed in the Talladega National Forrest close to Heflin, Alabama Thursday, was located on Christmas day. Cleburne County Director of Emergency Management Steve Swafford says the wreckage was found Friday afternoon about two miles north of Heflin, which is about 70 miles east of Birmingham. According to the Federal Aviation Adminstration Web site, the Piper PA-28 Cherokee was registered to Grills Aviation Inc. in Sterrett. Officials have identified the pilot who died after his small plane crashed in Cleburne County Thursday evening. Cleburne County Coroner Rudy Rooks identified the victim as 21 year old John Lawrence Gilbert, Jr. of Pell City, Alabama. Swafford says the plane had been scheduled to leave Pell City at 10 p.m. Thursday and was headed toward the Atlanta area. Heflin is about 50 miles east and the wreckage was found in rough terrain. The name of the person aboard has not been released.