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Builder dies in S. Fla. plane crash

By J. FRANK LYNCH
jflynch@theCitizenNews.com

and JOHN THOMPSON
jthompson@TheCitizenNews.com

A builder with long-time Fayette ties died Saturday in a fiery south Florida plane crash.

Jerry Ballard, a prominent South Metro home builder with deep ties to Fayette County, was killed Saturday when the small plane he was piloting crashed into a house in Broward County, Fla., and burst into flames. He was 57.

Witnesses on the ground reported hearing engine noises coming from the plane before the two-seater went down about 12:20 p.m. Saturday in Coconut Creek, Fla., a town of about 48,000 people north of Ft. Lauderdale.

Tony Avello, public information officer with the Coconut Creek Police Department, said the plane slammed into the roof of a single-family home, broke apart and burst into flames. Part of the plane ended up lodged inside the house, which was destroyed, he said.

Ballard’s body was found on the ground beneath the wreckage, Avello said. He died instantly.

The funeral is set for Friday morning at 11 a.m. at Jonesboro First Baptist Church.

The owner of the home was watching TV with her 2-year-old daughter Saturday when she heard a plane in distress, Avello said. Other witnesses also reported the sound of engine trouble just before the crash.

“She heard the plane overheard and thought something was wrong and decided to leave the house with her daughter,” Avello said. “She made the right decision to exit the house when she did.”

No one else was hurt.

Officers with the National Transportation Safety Board were on the scene within an hour of the crash, Avello said, although the body and the wreckage weren’t removed until the NTSB’s initial investigation was complete Sunday afternoon.

Ballard’s permanent address is in Gainesville, where he and his wife, Jeanie, built a house several years ago on Lake Lanier.

But they spent much of their time at a second home in South Florida, family members said. That’s where Jeanie Ballard was Saturday afternoon when she learned of her husband’s death from a Fort Lauderdale newspaper reporter.

They have no children, relatives said.

Ballard’s roots run deep in Fayette County. He and Fayette District Attorney Scott Ballard are first cousins, and his father, Joseph Ballard, still lives in the area, family members said.

But they said they weren’t sure when Ballard took up flying, and his intended destination Saturday remained unclear.

The plane was registered last June to Jerry Ballard Homes, Inc., the Fayetteville company Ballard founded in 1979. Over 25 years, Ballard built more than 2,000 houses in the area, according to the company Web site, www.jerryballardhomes.com

While still based in Fayette County, much of Ballard’s focus today is on affordable developments in surrounding areas like Coweta, Henry and Troup counties.

Early Tuesday morning, Ballard Homes released a statement.

“Jerry touched many lives in different ways-as a mentor, loyal friend, sharing and caring. He did not accept mediocrity, but pursued excellence in all things and inspired all of those around him to do the same,” the statement read.

Ballard Homes officials also described his generous attitude and the philosophy that built his company to one of the regional giants in the home construction business.

“My philosophy is that every American deserves and has the right to have an affordable place to live,” Ballard once said.

Ballard first started building in 1979. He developed LaFayette Center, and built a nursing home, shopping centers, apartment complexes and commercial buildings in Fayette County.

In 1980, he was named Builder of the Year and president of the Midwest Georgia Builders Association. In 1982, Ballard was presented the Chet Wells Service Award from the Fayette County Chamber of Commerce and was honored in 1986 by the same group as the Outstanding Business Person of the Year.