A small skydiving plane left a Tennessee airport with 20 people on board. Shortly after, the plane crashed into a grassy field. Fortunately, no casualties were reported, with several people being injured and transported to local hospitals.
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According to the Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP), the incident took place on Sunday, June 8. State troopers arrived at the site located on Old Shelbyville Road and assisted the Tullahoma first responders.
In a statement shared with PEOPLE, issued by a city of Tullahoma spokesperson, Lyle Russell, it was confirmed that a total of 20 people were aboard the plane at the time of the incident. These include crew members and passengers, who all left the Tullahoma Regional Airport at around 12:30 p.m.
Both the THP and Russell confirmed that no one on board was killed as a result of the crash.
“There were no casualties,” Russell said. “There are some minor injuries. The scene is being secured by local authorities while FAA officials are en route to continue the investigation.”
Several residents talked to The New York Times, recalling how the crash occurred near them. Sheila Stone, 57, was on her back porch when she saw the plane passing by and saw it avoid a tree before crashing.
“How he cleared that tree is a miracle,” Stone said.
Several Injured
In an update issued by the THP, Tullahoma authorities confirmed that six people were injured. Three of them were airlifted to local hospitals. A Vanderbilt University Hospital representative, Danny Bonvissuto, detailed to The New York Times that one person was in critical condition, while three were in stable condition. Others were treated at the scene.
Accompanying the update, the THP also shared a video of the plane in the grassy field, totaled with debris spread across the area. THP vehicles are seen in the area, with other law enforcement vehicles and fire trucks surrounding the crash site as well.
“No ground facilities or airport facilities were damaged and there were no injuries reported from the ground,” Russell added.
Russell confirmed to PEOPLE that the aircraft was a skydiving plane. More specifically, it was a DeHaviland DH-6 Twin.
The cause of the crash, or where the passengers planned to skydive in the first place, is still unknown. According to Fox 5, the Federal Aviation Administration will investigate the incident.