Byrd Family killed in plane crash was headed to Mississippi for sibling's graduation

A deadly plane crash on Interstate 285 has claimed the lives of four family members headed to a college graduation.

The pilot Greg Byrd, his sons Phillip and Christopher, and Christopher’s fiancée, Jackie Kulzer, were killed when the plane crashed Friday moing.
 
FAA records show the single engine Piper airplane took off from DeKalb Peachtree Airport just before 10 a.m. Friday before crashing minutes later on 285.
 
Records show the plane was headed to Oxford, Mississippi, where family members say they were going to attend the graduation of another one of Greg Byrd’s sons at University of Mississippi.
 
Peggy Swicegood lost her former son-in-law and two grandsons in the crash. She said the impact of the loss hasn’t hit her yet.
 
”They were just precious. Christopher and his fiancée -- Jackie -- they went to Ole Miss. They both were going to be 28 the day before they were (to be) married in October, Swicegood said. ”What's little Robert going to do? He lost his two brothers and his dad.

 

Outpouring of support: Andrew Swicegood, a relative of the Byrd brothers on their mother's side, eulogized Phillip and Chris in a touching post  

The flight had originated in Asheville, North Carolina, where pilot Greg Byrd lived. He flew to the Atlanta area to pick up Christopher and Jackie.
 
Greg Byrd served as a deputy and a detective for the Buncombe County Sheriff's Office in North Carolina from 1989 until his retirement in 2006. After he retired, Greg Byrd became a reserve deputy for the department.

The Byrds, described as a prominent family in Asheville, North Carolina, had touched many lives

Special bond: A sorority at Ole Miss paid tribute to Jackie Kuzler, who had been a sister at Delta Rho
 
”This is a tremendous loss for his family, this Sheriff’s Office and the community, Buncombe County Sheriff Van Duncan said. ”Greg was a very professional, dedicated public servant that continued to serve his community in a Reserve Deputy role.

According to the Asheville Citizen-Times, Greg Byrd and Hope Swicegood Byrd, the boys’ mother, had divorced but remained close as they raised their three boys, said Lynn Kieffer.

"Greg had taken the plane out yesterday," said family friend Lynn Kieffer, apparently without issue. She described Greg as an experienced pilot.

His father, Grady, had originally planned to also fly to the graduation of his grandson, Robert, but changed his mind, she said.

The newspaper said Swicegood Byrd opted not to go to the graduation because her son was not walking in the ceremony.

Christopher Byrd worked as a real estate agent at a small property management firm in midtown Atlanta.
 
One of his co-workers told reporters that he’s still trying to grasp what has happened.
 
Nicholas Bowman said Byrd had worked at Cooper Brown Real Estate since October. He says the office is still trying to digest the news of the tragic crash.
 
Bowman said he knows how excited Byrd was to make the trip to Mississippi to see his little brother graduate.
 
”It was his on-call weekend and he was excited to go to his brother's graduation. They had this trip planned so I swapped with him to be able to make the trip so he wouldn't have to be bothered with work, Bowman said.
 
Bowman said Christopher brought his fiancée into the office once. He told Geary he didn't realize Kulzer was also on the plane.
 
”I did get to meet Jackie. She was also very nice and he spoke very highly of her, Bowman said. ”To lose this many people in one family so tragically … I couldn't imagine.
   
Bowman said Cooper Brown is a small office and Christopher spent a lot of time in the field.
 
”We all seemed to really get along. He was a great addition to our team and it's going to be a great loss, Bowman said.   
 
Bowman told Geary that Christopher and Jackie had picked out a venue and set a wedding date and were looking forward to their special day.

Jackie is a graduate of St. Pius X Catholic High School in Atlanta.

The school said, "Jackie is remembered as a wonderful young lady, very popular, very energetic, out-going individual that was always conceed about others."

According to the Asheville Citizen-Times, Kulzer had not planned to attend, but finished her work as a CPA early, and was a late addition to the trip, hoping to surprise Robert.

In a statement from Kulzer's brother, Matt Bailey, he said:

"Our family wants to thank everyone for their prayers and support during this difficult time. The world lost four great souls today. Jackie and her fiancé Chris were incredible individuals who positively touched the lives of everyone they encountered. They will be greatly missed. Our hearts go out to the Byrd family in Asheville, NC as they try to cope with the loss of three family members. Please pray for the Byrds and our family."