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When was the last time you looked up to the sky when you heard a piston engine? If you are like me, your head is always on a swivel when the roar of a spinning prop is within earshot, especially near airports. I’m writing this column on the day I witnessed a plane crash exactly 25 years ago. Memories like this stick with you, especially when they fall on your birthday and you were in a plane on the ground waiting for your turn to take to the skies when it happened. That day, I had planned to take a leisurely flight around Atlanta. I was sitting solo in a high wing airplane in the run-up area with the engine running watching (and listening to ATC and the pilot) as the situation unfolded. This particular incident developed over what felt like at least five long minutes as the airplane, on fire, made multiple passes over the airport runways. The result was a plane that flew very low over the run-up area and crashed right in front of me between the two runways near the departure end. After the stunned feeling wore off, my day at the airport ended with a…