A single-engine plane exploded into flames as it crashed along Interstate 40 East in Nashville, killing all five people on board, authorities said.
The pilot was granted permission to make an emergency landing at John C. Tune Airport after reporting engine trouble on Monday around 7:40 p.m., Metro Nashville Police Department spokesman Don Aaron said. A short time later, the pilot reported they would not be able to make it there.
The plane crashed about three miles away from the airport. Authorities are still working to determine where it originated from.
“That impact was catastrophic and did not leave any survivors,” Nashville Fire Department spokesperson Kendra Loney said.
None of the victims has been identified.
Dramatic video shared on social media shows the small plane surrounded by clouds of smoke and completely engulfed in flames in a grassy area behind a Costco alongside I-40 East. Other images posted online show the mangled remains of the aircraft.
Those who witnessed the plane in the moments before the crash reported that it was “obviously in distress as it was coming over the interstate,” Aaron said.
“We are fortunate the aircraft did not hit any buildings as it went down,” he added.
The fiery crash forced the closure of I-40 East at mile marker 202 overnight, Tennessee Department of Transportation Region 3 spokeswoman Rebekah Hammonds said on X. All lanes were reopened as of Tuesday morning, though commuters should still expect delays, she said.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation. The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration are assisting in the probe, Nashville police said.
