UPDATE: Preliminary report released for fatal Dunlap plane crash

From Local 3 News: UPDATE: An instructional flight ended in tragedy when a small plane crashed near a private airstrip in Dunlap, killing the pilot and seriously injuring the passenger, according to a preliminary report released by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).

The owner and pilot of the plane, Wendall Trimble, 79, died. The passenger, Ashnish Sircar, 55, was seriously injured, Dunlap Police Chief Randy Phillips confirmed.

The aircraft, a Piper J3C-65 with registration number N28DR, had reportedly taken off from a rural airstrip about seven miles north of the crash site on June 24th. It went down at the aircraft owner's private airstrip, coming to rest approximately 40 feet off the side of the grass runway in a nearby hayfield.

The plane was found mostly upright but suffered substantial damage. The right main landing gear had collapsed, and the aircraft was partially resting on its right wing.

Significant structural damage was also observed to the cockpit and engine compartment.
The NTSB report states that no mechanical failures were found in the engine that would have contributed to the crash.

Witnesses at the scene said the pilot, seated in the forward position, was wearing a four-point harness. The passenger, seated in the rear, appeared to be either unsecured or only wearing a lap belt, according to witnesses.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and NTSB continue to investigate the cause of the crash.


PREVIOUS STORY: The two victims in a deadly Dunlap plane crash have been ID'd.
Wendall Trimble, 79, died. The second person in the Piper J3C-65, Ashnish Sircar, 55, was seriously injured, Dunlap Police Chief Randy Phillips says.

NTSB Aviation Accident Investigator Ryan Enders says the plane was attempting to land when it crashed. The right wing had substantial damage, but the cause of the crash is still under investigation.

The preliminary report of the crash will be published in about 3 weeks, and the final report will be published in 18 months, Enders says.


PREVIOUS STORY: The National Transportation Safety Board is holding a press conference on Wednesday to update the public on the investigation of a small plane crash in Dunlap on Tuesday.

The small plane identified as a Piper J3C-65 single-engine aircraft, crashed into a field near Ridge Road.

At least one person was killed in the crash.

No names have been released.

We have a crew at the NTSB's event.



PREVIOUS STORY: The preliminary information by the Federal Aviation Administration on Tuesday's small plane crash in Dunlap says that the pilot died as a result of the crash.
The crash happened Tuesday evening near Dunlap.

The small plane identified as a Piper J3C-65 single-engine aircraft, crashed into a field near Ridge Road.

A passenger in the aircraft was taken to a nearby hospital for examination and treatment.
The FAA's aircraft registry says that the plane was manufactured in 1945.


PREVIOUS STORY: Two people were injured in a small plane crash near Ridge Road in Dunlap Tuesday evening, according to Dunlap Police Chief Randy Phillips.

The crash happened shortly after 6:00pm. Both people were transported to area hospitals—one to Erlanger Sequatchie Valley and the other to Erlanger Baroness Hospital.

"When officers arrived they located the plane in the field with two injured occupants.

Emergency personnel responded to the scene and rendered aid to those people and they were transported from the scene," said Phillips.

The extent of their injuries has not been released.

Phillips says the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will take over the investigation. Officials from both agencies are expected on scene Wednesday.

A neighbor who lives across from the field where the plan landed says she's known the pilot for years. She claim the pilot had a runway in their background and flies frequently.
This is a developing story & will be updated.


PREVIOUS STORY: Emergency crews are responding to a plane down in a field near Ridge Road in Dunlap, Tennessee, Tuesday evening. No official details have been released yet.


A Dunlap resident recounts when the incident happened.

Riley McCarty says she was "very concerned" when she saw tons of first responders fly by her house to the scene near Ridge Road around 6:50pm.

"I pray everyone is okay," McCarty told Local 3. "It's not an everyday thing here [in Dunlap] when first responders go flying by your house.