NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — The May 2021 airplane crash that killed Christian diet guru Gwen Shamblin, her husband and five other members of their church was the result of pilot error, according to the final report from the National Transportation Safety Board.
Shamblin's husband, Joe Lara, was piloting the Cessna 501 twin-engine aircraft that crashed into Percy Priest Lake just minutes after takeoff from the Smyrna airport. The NTSB concluded that Lara became disoriented when the plane entered the clouds.
"Accelerations associated with the airplane’s increasing airspeed were likely perceived by the pilot as the airplane pitching up although it was in a continuous descent," the NTSB report says.
"This occurred because the pilot was experiencing spatial disorientation, and he likely did not effectively use his instrumentation during takeoff and climb. As a result of the pilot experiencing spatial disorientation, he likely experienced a high workload managing the flight profile, which would have had a further adverse effect on his performance.
"As such, the airplane entered a high acceleration, unusual attitude, descending left turn from which the pilot was not able to recover."
All of the passengers were members of Shamblin's Brentwood-based Remnant Fellowship.
This is a developing story. Stay with NewsChannel 5 for more information.
