WHITE COUNTY, Tenn. (WTVF) — Engine failure is suspected as the cause of a deadly plane crash in White County that killed three people in April, according to a preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board.
Personnel from the Upper Cumberland Regional Airport, where the airplane was headed, said there was no reported distress call made by the pilot.
However, a nearby witness reported hearing engine trouble before the crash.
The plane took off from Alabama on April 26, heading to the Upper Cumberland Regional Airport. As it neared the airport, a witness reported hearing the engine cutting in and out "like it was out of gas" moments before the plane crashed into trees and a creek about a mile and a half from the airport.
Investigators examined the engine and found signs of a malfunction.
"Initial examination of the engine revealed evidence of internal catastrophic malfunction. The No. 3 cylinder connecting rod was fractured and not attached at either end. The No. 3 cylinder connecting rod journal did not display any evidence of lack of lubrication," the NTSB report stated.
The pilot was identified as Jonathan Braun from Middle Tennessee. He was carrying two passengers, Dylan Clay Davis and his wife Kelsie Lynn Davis, both from Alabama.
The engine and other parts of the plane were taken in for further examination.
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