UPDATE: Airport Executive Director talks about plane crash at McKellar-Sipes

MADISON, Tenn — A scary scene at McKellar-Sipes Regional Airport, late Wednesday afternoon.

“This is the first major incident we have had in several years,” said Steve Smith, Executive Director of the Airport Authority.

Just before 4:30 p.m., the small, two engine plane with only the pilot on board crashed at the end of runway two and caught fire, according to Smith.

“The best we can tell it’s an equipment malfunction, nobody was hurt. We have contacted the NTSB and the FAA and they will be on site in the morning,” said Smith.

The pilot was taken to the hospital as a precaution but is expected to be OK, according to Smith.  But the same couldn’t be said about his aircraft.

“There’s quite a bit of damage to the right main engine, right wing and the right main gear,” Smith said.

According to the online website Flightaware the  aircraft believed to have crashed is a Beach Craft King Air 100.

Smith says the fire crews who responded deserve credit for preventing a serious situation from turning into a deadly one.

“Our guys sprayed and foamed the aircraft pretty quickly smothering the aircraft and contained the fire. So it was all contained on the right side,” Smith recalled.