Tennessee Aviation YouTuber and Her Father Die in Small Plane Crash in Giles County
A single-engine plane crashed in Pulaski, Tennessee, on Sunday afternoon, killing the pilot and injuring two passengers. The plane was a Cessna 172 Skyhawk, which was flying from Knoxville to Nashville when it went down near the intersection of Highway 66 and Highway 96 around 2:30 p.m.
According to the Tennessee Highway Patrol, the plane was reportedly in distress shortly after takeoff from McGhee Tyson Airport. The pilot contacted air traffic control and requested to return to the airport, but did not provide any details about the reason for the emergency. The air traffic controller then instructed the pilot to divert to Pulaski Regional Airport, which is about 10 miles away from McGhee Tyson.
The plane landed safely at Pulaski Regional Airport around 2:45 p.m., but shortly after it touched down, it caught fire and exploded. The fire department arrived at the scene and extinguished the flames, but not before they caused extensive damage to the plane and nearby vehicles. The fire department also rescued two passengers who were trapped inside the wreckage.
The two passengers were identified as John Smith and Jane Doe, both 45 years old. They were wearing seat belts and suffered only minor injuries from the crash. They were taken to TriStar Skyline Medical Center in Johnson City for further treatment.
The pilot of the plane was identified as James Jones, 52 years old. He was not wearing a seat belt and was pronounced dead at the scene by emergency medical services personnel.
The cause of the crash is still under investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). The FAA has closed its investigation pending further analysis of evidence collected from the scene. The NTSB has also opened its investigation and will conduct interviews with witnesses and review flight data recorder (FDR) and cockpit voice recorder (CVR) if available. The crash is one of several fatal aviation accidents that have occurred in Tennessee this year. The crash also comes amid heightened concerns over aviation safety amid rising fuel prices, weather disruptions, cyberattacks, terrorism threats, and other factors that could affect air travel operations.