NASHVILLE, TN – A devastating event transpired near Interstate 40 in Tennessee on Monday night when a small airplane was forced into an emergency landing, culminating in the loss of five lives, as confirmed by the Metro Nashville Police Department.
The ill-starred single-engine plane crashed in the vicinity of I-40 East at Mile Marker 203, located in West Nashville, a region roughly three miles from John C. Tune Airport. Don Aaron, a spokesperson for the police, disclosed that the airport’s control tower received a distress signal around 7:40 p.m. from the doomed plane, indicating engine and power malfunctions and seeking immediate authorization to land.
Despite the airport’s green light for an emergency landing, the pilot conveyed the dire news that the plane wouldn’t make it to the runway. The aircraft subsequently crashed about three miles south of the airport.
The plane met its tragic end, exploding into flames, behind a Costco store just off the eastbound lanes of I-40. The crash was reported to dispatch at 7:44 p.m. Aaron assured that no vehicles or buildings were affected by the crash and the casualties were all passengers on the plane.
Kendra Loney, representing the Nashville Fire Department, said that several onlookers witnessed the plane’s descent and its destruction upon impact. “That impact was catastrophic and did not leave any survivors,” Loney conveyed at the news briefing.
When fire crews reached the scene, they were met with heavy flames and smoke. Firefighters managed to douse the flames and secure the evidence from the scene for the Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board’s investigation.
The interstate was closed off on Monday night, with lanes expected to reopen Tuesday morning. Nonetheless, drivers were warned to prepare for slow traffic and possible delays in the area.
The investigation is under the purview of the National Transportation Safety Board, which will provide any updates as the investigation unfolds.