Family identified in fatal plane crash

JACKSON, Tenn. — A community is mourning the loss of a family of four, killed as they returned home.

Crenshaw family

“They had left as they reported yesterday from Kissimmee, Fla., and was en route back to Jackson, Tenn.,” said assistant chief Kyle Ellison with the Blount County Fire District.

Officials said Joesph and Jennifer Crenshaw were killed along with their two teenage children, Jacob and Jillian.

The family was due to arrive on their private plane into Jackson around 3 p.m. Saturday, but never made it. Their plane crashed near Hayden, Ala.

“They did receive a mayday call from that plane, and then they lost contact with it,” Ellison said at a press conference Sunday.

Residents of Hayden say strong winds came in around the time the plane went down.

Charles Caldwell said the plane landed on his property, and he found parts of it in the woods.

“It’s a mess,” he said. “I mean, it’s just a rubble of tin — you can’t tell it’s a plane.”

West Blount fire officials say the wings were found unattached from the engine and other parts were still being found hours after they fell from the sky.

“The area where the wings have been located in various different parts of our territory here from that area to where the fuselage was located was approximately a half mile to a mile scattered in various areas,” Ellison said.

Steve Smith with McKellar-Sipes Regional Airport said the crash is being investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board.

“They’re really good at what they do, and to find the fate of whatever happened to 6365 Delta rests with them,” he said. “It may be a while, but I think the answers are there, and they will find those answers for us.”

He says the official cause of the crash will come out after their investigation.

“Our heart goes out to the family. They were wonderful people, and we hope the NTSB will let us know really soon.”

The two teenagers killed were students at University School of Jackson.

School officials said grief counselors will be on campus this week for students and faculty.

Stay with WBBJ 7 Eyewitness news as more details become available.