Metro Nashville Police Department
The dismembered frame of the plane lay at the crash site near Interstate 40 in Nashville Monday night.
CNN
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A small plane burst into flames when it crashed into the shoulder of Interstate 40 in Nashville on Monday night, killing all five people on board and leaving the highway partially open as authorities investigated the scene. Police announced that it had been closed down.
The plane reported engine and power failure around 7:40 p.m., and an emergency landing at John C. Thune Airport was authorized, said Don Aaron, a Metro Nashville Police Department spokesman. However, the pilot immediately informed air traffic control that he would not be able to reach the tarmac.
Audio from the website LiveATC.net recorded communications between pilots and air traffic controllers before the fatal crash.
“Can you still see John Thune Airport?” the air traffic controller asked.
“The engine has stopped. I am 1600 years old. [feet]. We’re going to land…we don’t know where we’re going to land,” the pilot replied.
According to eyewitness reports, the plane appeared to be “in apparent distress as it was passing through the interstate,” Aaron said, before crashing in the grass behind a Costco on Interstate 40. Ta.
“We were lucky that the plane didn't hit a building when it crashed,” Aaron said.
The plane burst into flames upon impact, said Kendra Loney, a spokeswoman for the Nashville Fire Department.
“The impact was devastating and there were no survivors left,” Ronnie said.
Police have not yet released the identity of the victim and are still working to determine where the plane came from.
He said the National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration would investigate the cause of the crash.
The collision was caused by temporary Tennessee Department of Transportation Region 3 regional spokeswoman Rebecca Hammons said Interstate 40 East will be closed at mile marker 202. on X.
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Eyewitness video showed the plane engulfed in flames and smoke, and images shared by police showed a frame of the dismembered plane surrounded by first responders on a grassy roadside. It is being
Live traffic cameras showed a massive emergency vehicle response blocking all eastbound travel lanes near the crash site, followed by a series of traffic jams. to the closed area of I-40 East.
“If you are going to travel tonight, please find another route,” Hammons said, adding that the investigation continues.
CNN has reached out to the Federal Aviation Administration for additional information.
With CNN's Amanda Jackson Carol Alvarado contributed to this report.
