Plane Crash Injures Four in Chattanooga CHATTANOOGA, TENN -  At about 8:16 PM, Wednesday, September 19, 2007, a Beechcraft King Air Turbo Prop en route from Birmingham, Alabama to Chattanooga, Tennessee radioed a mayday to the tower at Chattanooga Airport.  Moments later the plane crashed into the parking lot of Brainerd Hills Plaza, a busy shopping center in the 5700 block of Brainerd Road.  After striking a light pole in front of the shopping center the plane skidded to a stop in the parking lot, striking two parked cars on the way.   One vehicle, believed to be a pickup truck, was crushed underneath the plane, the other overturned next to it.  Luckily, no one was in either vehicle.  A third car that was traveling on Brainerd Road was struck by the plane or some debris.  The driver was unhurt.  The plane was on its belly, facing the roadway that it crossed after coming to rest. The Chattanooga Fire Department dispatched several pieces of apparatus for the initial call of a plane crash.  Quint 13 and Squad 3, quartered less than a mile away, were on the scene quickly and confirmed the crash.  Quint 8 and Tanker 8 also arrived shortly thereafter.  Quint 13 was able to advise that there was no entrapment and no fire.  Four people were onboard the plane at the time of the crash.  All are believed to be from the Lexington, Kentucky area.  The plane is registered to Air Amteck of Lexington.  They were pulled from the wreckage by witnesses.  All of the survivors were talking with rescuers and were eventually transported to Erlanger Hospital by Hamilton County EMS.  All four are in stable condition.  No one on the ground was injured. One of the witnesses to the crash stated that the pilot said the plane ran out of fuel.  This statement could not be confirmed and no cause has yet been given for the crash.  The NTSB and FAA will be investigating the crash and are due on the scene by early morning, Thursday, September 20.   The plane came to rest directly in front of Qdoba Mexican Restaurant at 5798 Brainerd Road.  There does not appear to be any damage to the restaurant or surrounding businesses.  Brainerd Road is a major thoroughfare connecting downtown Chattanooga to the eastern suburbs.  It is heavily traveled even at this time of night and it is nothing short of miraculous that no one on the ground was hurt. The Chattanooga Police Department cordoned off the area and evacuated the entire shopping complex as well as nearby businesses.  Even though they were kept at a distance and very little of the lane other than one wing sticking up in the air, bystanders lined the street and nearby neighborhood for hours looking at the wreckage.  The shopping center adjacent to the crash, as well as the roadway, will remain closed until the investigation is completed and the wreckage removed.  Police spokespeople estimate that the area will be reopened no earlier than late in the day on Thursday, September 20. Chattanooga Hamilton County Rescue Squad was on the scene for rehab.  The Tennessee Highway Patrol and the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Department were also present.  Firefighters and police will remain on the scene throughout the investigation.