A new preliminary report reveals further details about the plane crash in North Carolina that killed country musician Brett James last month.
The small private plane piloted by James entered a tightening spiral and crashed near a North Carolina airport last month, killing all three people on board, according to the report released by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and reviewed by People.
The report states that James, 57, was flying a Cirrus SR22T from John C. Tune Airport in Nashville, Tennessee, to Macon County Airport in Franklin, North Carolina, on Sept. 18.
His wife, Melody Carole, 59, and her daughter, 28-year-old Meryl Wilson, were passengers. All three died in the crash.
Investigators said James had requested a visual approach to land at Macon County Airport and told air traffic control he planned to perform a 360-degree turn before landing.
His last transmission, recorded at about 2:48 p.m. local time, indicated that the aircraft was at 6,800 feet. No further communication was received.
According to the NTSB report, surveillance footage showed the Cirrus descending in a left turn before entering a "tightening spiral" and hitting the ground roughly a quarter-mile from the runway.
Witnesses reported seeing the plane flying low near the airport and over a nearby school playground before it began "rocking from side to side" then rolled and disappeared behind trees.
The aircraft crashed in an open field near Iotla Valley Elementary School, west of the airport.
There were no indications of engine failure, investigators said.
The wreckage has been recovered for further analysis.
Flight data showed the plane departed Nashville at 12:41 p.m. and was airborne for just over two hours before the crash.
Weather conditions at the time of the incident were not detailed in the initial report.
James was a prominent songwriter in Nashville, credited with cowriting 26 No. 1 country singles, including Carrie Underwood's "Jesus, Take the Wheel," Dierks Bentley's "I Hold On," and Brantley Gilbert's "Bottoms Up," according to Songwriter Universe.
He also wrote songs for artists such as Kenny Chesney, Martina McBride, Jason Aldean, and Rascal Flatts, and collaborated with Bon Jovi.
A former medical student who turned to music in the early 1990s, James released his self-titled debut album in 1995 and was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2020.
The NTSB's investigation into the cause of the crash remains ongoing.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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