FRANKLIN, N.C. (WLOS) — Macon County dispatch confirmed that a plane crashed west of Iotla Valley Elementary School in Franklin on Thursday, Sept. 18, and no one on board survived. According to the Federal Aviation Administration, three people were on board.
According to Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame and WZTV reporting, one of the three people who reportedly died in the plane crash was American singer-songwriter and Hall of Fame member Brett James, known for hit songs like “Jesus Take the Wheel” and “When the Sun Goes Down.” He was 57.
The Macon County Sheriff’s Office said students and staff at Iotla Valley Elementary School are reported safe after an airplane accident occurred “on the neighboring property.”
News 13 received this statement from the FAA:
A Cirrus SR22T crashed in a field in Franklin, North Carolina, around 3 p.m. local time on Thursday, Sept. 18. Three people were on board. The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board will investigate. The NTSB will be in charge of the investigation and will provide further updates.
The Cirrus SR22T’s tail number is N218VB and is registered to James out of Brentwood, Tennessee, according to FlightAware. The flight originated from John C Tune Airport in Nashville, T.N. and crashed in Macon County, N.C., close to 3 p.m.
The FAA also provided a link to a preliminary accident/incident report, which, once it’s posted, is usually available the next business day.
In an X post from the National Transportation Safety Board, they said they are investigating “the crash of a Cirrus SR22T aircraft near Franklin, North Carolina.”
“An NTSB investigator is expecting to be on scene sometime tomorrow. Additional information may be available once the investigator has arrived on scene,” according to an email to News 13 from NTSB.
In an email to News 13, North Carolina Highway Patrol Lieutenant Joshua Dowdle said the highway patrol is assisting at the scene.
Dowdle also said the Federal Aviation Administration “will be the primary investigating agency.”
News 13 has a crew on the scene and will update this story as more details are discovered.
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