(StraightNews.org) – Five people, including three children, died when a small plane lost power and crashed near Nashville, Tennessee, on the evening of March 4. A National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) official said the aircraft smashed into a highway en route to Nashville from Mount Sterling, Kentucky, and just 3 miles from its destination, the John Tune Airport.
NTSB air safety investigator Aaron McCarter told reporters that the flight originated in Ontario, Canada, before stopping in Erie, Pennsylvania, and Mount Sterling. Mr. McCarter added that all passengers were Canadian citizens and the NTSB would work with Canada’s authorities to investigate what went wrong.
There were no reports of incidents or irregularities during the flight, but when approaching John Tune Airport, the plane suddenly ascended, and the pilot reported a complete loss of engine power to the airport control tower. Don Aaron, public affairs director for the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department, said the pilot then requested permission to land, which was immediately granted.
Air traffic control remained in contact with the pilot, who suddenly turned toward Interstate 40 East and hit the ground between mile markers 201 and 202. Following the crash, Mr. McCarter said the aircraft tumbled, stopped, and then burst into flames.
The plane’s wreckage was taken to a Springfield, Tennessee, facility for examination by the Federal Aviation Authority and NTSB. Nobody else was injured, and no cars on the Interstate 40 were affected.
The Associated Press stated that the aircraft was a single-engine Piper PA-32R, manufactured in Ontario in 1978.
The tragedy occurred just weeks after a similar incident in Florida in February. Five people died after a pilot attempted an emergency landing but crashed into an Interstate 75 in Collier County and burst into flames. The pilot and co-pilot were identified as 50-year-old Edward Daniel Murphy and 65-year-old Ian Frederick Hoffman. The plane departed from Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio, en route to Ford Lauderdale. It lost radio contact with Naples Airport Authority moments before it crashed.
Copyright 2024, StraightNews.org
