Five Canadian citizens are reportedly dead after the small plane crashed alongside Interstate 40 in West Nashville on Monday evening.
The Metro Nashville Police Department confirmed that a single-engine airplane crashed off the eastbound lanes of I-30 just past the Charlotte Pk exit. “Several persons on board are deceased,” the department shared on X (formerly Twitter). Work continues to determine from where the plane originated.”
The Metro Nashville Police spokesperson Don Aaron also confirmed with The Tennessean that the plane had reported engine failure shortly before it crashed at approximately 7:45 p.m. Aaron revealed that the plane was coming from the north to the south, landing in a grassy median. It did not hit any buildings or vehicles as it crashed.
Nashville Fire Department spokesperson, Kendra Loney, further explained that witnesses told authorities the aircraft imploded on impact. She then described the crash as “catastrophic.”
Nashville International Airport spokesperson Stacey Nickens spoke out about the crash, noting a single-engine, fixed-wing Piper PA-32RT-300T, tail number C-FBWH, left Mount Sterling, Kentucky. It was set to arrive at John C. Tune Airport in Nashville around 7:43 p.m.
“The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will investigate this aircraft accident after Metro first responders ensure the accident scene is safe,” BNA reported.
Although the plane’s owner remains unknown, it was registered in July.
Responding to the devastating news about the plane crash, Nashville mayor Freddie O’Connell wrote on X, “Our thoughts go out to the loved ones of all those on board the single-engine aircraft that crashed near Interstate 40 this evening.”
Three Children Are Among the Five Dead in Nashville Plane Crash
Meanwhile, NBC News reports that three children were among the five Canadian citizens who died in the Nashville plane crash.
Air safety investigator Aaron McCarter revealed that the plane had actually circled over John C. Tune Airport at 2,500 feet above, briefly flew away, and then came back when it lost power. “We’re still trying to determine why he decided to overfly the airport at 2,500 feet. I don’t know that yet,” McCarter explained. “We are at the infancy of this investigation. These are all things that will come to light in subsequent days.”
Although John C. Tune Airport’s Runaway 2 was clear for the plane, the pilot stated he had already descended to 1,600 feet and doubted he would land at the airport. “I’m going to be landing, I don’t know where,” the pilot stated in a recording on LiveATC.net. “Yes, I have it (the airport) in sight. I’m too far away, I won’t make it.”
Tragically, the plane crashed before making it to the airport. Any other details about the passengers have not been revealed.