OAN’s James Meyers
10:11 AM -Tuesday, March 5, 2024
A recently surfaced video shockingly shows a small-engine plane crashing beside a Nashville highway, sadly killing all five onboard. This was moments before the pilot had warned: “I’m too far away, I won’t make it,” over the radio.
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The plane had been approved for an emergency landing at John C. Tune Airport after reporting engine and power failure at around 7:40 p.m. local time, according to Metro Nashville Police Department spokesperson Don Aaron.
However, the pilot told air traffic control that they would not be able to make it to the tarmac.
Audio from the website LiveATC.net captured the communications between the pilot and the air traffic controller before the deadly crash.
“Do you still have John Tune Airport in sight?” the air traffic controller asked.
“My engine shut off. I’m at sixteen hundred [feet]. I’m going to be landing … I don’t know where,” the pilot responded.
“Straight in runway 2, straight in runway 2 at John Tune. Do you have the airport in sight?… you’re clear to land,” the controller says.
Soon after, the pilot says he has the airport in sight, but adds: “I’m too far away, I won’t make it.”
“OK, uhhhh. See if you can glide in there, sir. Glide in, they’re clearing the runway for you,” the controller says, but the plane crashed moments later along Interstate 40 in West Nashville.
The five victims have not yet been identified by authorities. The aircraft did not hit any buildings or vehicles as it crashed almost 3 miles from the general aviation airport.
According to outlet The Tennessean, Nashville International Airport spokesperson Stacey Nickens stated that the plane left Mount Sterling, Kentucky, at 7:19 p.m.
The plane was scheduled to arrive at John C. Tune Airport at 7:43 p.m.
Kendra Loney, a spokesperson for the Nashville Fire Department, described the horrific crash as “catastrophic,” expressing that witnesses had informed authorities that the plane exploded on impact.
“According to some witness information, their plane was obviously in distress as it was coming over the interstate, right before it hit the ground,” Aaron said. “I think he was having significant issues keeping the aircraft under control.”
Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell posted a statement of condolences on X (Twitter).
“Our thoughts go out to the loved ones of all those on board the single-engine aircraft that crashed near Interstate 40 this evening,” O’Connell said.
The cause of the crash is now under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
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