A small plane crashed after it was forced to make an emergency landing near Interstate 40 in Tennessee on Monday night, leaving several people dead, according to the Metro Nashville Police Department.
The single-engine plane crashed near I-40 East at Mile Marker 203 in West Nashville, a neighborhood about three miles from John C. Tune Airport.
Police spokesperson Don Aaron said at a news briefing that the control tower at John C. Tune Airport received a message at about 7:40 p.m. from an aircraft reporting that it was experiencing engine and power failure and needed emergency approval to land.
The airport gave approval for the aircraft to land on a runway, but the pilot radioed that it was not going to make it, Aaron said.
The aircraft then crashed behind the Costco store just off the eastbound lanes of I-40, and the crash was called into dispatch at 7:44 p.m.
Aaron said no vehicles or buildings were hit when the plane crashed and that everyone who died was on the plane.
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Nashville Fire Department spokesperson Kendra Loney said several witnesses observed the plane go down and that witnesses said the aircraft imploded on impact.
“That impact was catastrophic and did not leave any survivors,” Loney said at the news briefing.
When fire crews arrived at the scene, there were heavy flames and smoke, Loney said. Firefighters extinguished the flames and preserved the evidence from the scene so the Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board could investigate the crash.
“We are saddened by the loss of souls that were on board, but we are proud of the work that everyone is doing to stabilize this incident and to make sure that there were no additional casualties that came from that,” Loney said.
The interstate was shut down Monday night, and though lanes are expected to open Tuesday morning, drivers should still expect slow traffic and delays in the area.
The FAA said in a statement to FOX 17 Nashville that “it is not yet known how many people were on board.”
The investigation is being led by the NTSB, which will provide any updates going forward.
