Family remembers pilot killed in Tattnall County aircraft crash

LYONS, Ga. (WTOC) - The family of pilot Tony Zorn is remembering him days after he died in an aircraft crash in Tattnall County.

Zorn died Wednesday after his aircraft crashed in Tattnall County. He was known throughout rural Georgia for his adventurous flying expeditions.

Family members described Zorn as one of a kind — some even knew him as the “Swamp Monster.” They said he was well known for three things: his love for his family, flying and his faith in Jesus Christ.

One person who knew Zorn spoke to his skill as a pilot.

“And if I was in a plane that was on fire and upside down, and wanted one person to be in it with me to help me get it out of the way, it’d be Tony Zorn,” they said.

Family members recalled that Zorn built and worked on airplanes — sometimes inside the house during winter months.

“We would have dinner guests over, our friends would come over from school or from church. And they would walk in and they would say, you have an airplane in your house, why? We thought it was normal though, we didn’t think it was anything strange. We thought, hey, this is just life. Dad builds airplanes and he works on them in the wintertime in the house,” a family member said.

One family member described receiving a text message from Zorn shortly before learning of his death.

“Right before I was given the news of Tony’s homecoming, I opened the text up, and it said, Mary Zorn, I love you too. And we’re gonna finish this life together,” they said.

The family shared favorite memories of Zorn, many of which took place in the air. One family member recalled a flight with Zorn that ended with a landing on a sandbar.

“I’m dozing off, and I remember something was getting to my stomach, and I looked down, and Papa’s like, hold on, Cooper, and I was like, why? And I was like, I’m getting really scared. Then I remember we landed on a sandbar, and he had apologized, but it was over,” they said.

The family said their faith brings them comfort in the loss.

“As hard as it is for the family, we miss dad, miss him being here. But the fact that we know we have a hope in Christ that we will see him again, that’s a comfort and a peace that kinda goes beyond knowing where he’s at right now,” a family member said.

The family described Zorn’s death not as a goodbye, but as a “see you later.”