Nashville, Tennessee. – Five people aboard a single-engine plane died when it crashed near an interstate highway in Nashville, Tennessee, on Monday night, authorities said.
The pilot made an emergency call to John C. Tune Airport about 7:40 p.m., reporting engine failure and was cleared to make an emergency landing, said Don Aaron, a spokesman for the Metro Nashville Police Department. He said, after some time the pilot radioed that the plane would not reach the airport.
“My engine quit,” the pilot initially said in radio communications with air traffic control. That audio recording has been made publicly available by the streaming network LiveATC.net.
“Are you trying to get off on Johnson?” asked someone at the control center. The pilot reiterates that his plane’s engine has stopped, and says, “I’m going… I don’t know where.”
Air traffic control advised the pilot to declare an emergency and asked if he could see the airport runway.
The pilot replied, “Yes, I can see the runway.” But later he said, “I am very far away. I will not be able to reach.”
Another radio communication from the Tennessee Highway Patrol at about 7:30 p.m. mentioned “a single-engine aircraft that is completely engulfed,” and in a video shared on social media by a local Nashville resident The burning plane is visible after crashing along the shoulder. Highway.
The plane burst into flames when it crashed in a grassy field behind a Costco just off Interstate 40 and west of town. The crash site was approximately 3 miles south of the general aviation airport.
George Walker IV/AP
Police later said on social media that, “Five people on board the airplane died in the accident.”
Metro Fire Department public information officer Kendra Looney told CBS Nashville affiliate WTVF-TV that pieces of debris were scattered around the scene, but crews quickly collected them and made sure they were out of the way of anyone passing by. Be safe for. He said that there were no injuries to the drivers on the interstate route.
Officials said no vehicles or buildings on the ground were damaged. They were trying to find out where the flight had originated from.
The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration will investigate.
