Small plane crashes near Nashville interstate and 5 people aboard were killed, police say

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A single-engine plane crashed near a highway in Nashville, Tennessee, just a few miles short of the airport it had tried to reach for an emergency landing, killing five people aboard, authorities said.

The pilot made an emergency call to John C. Tune Airport around 7:40 p.m. Monday, reported engine trouble and was given clearance to make an emergency landing, Metro Nashville Police Department spokesman Don Aaron said. A short time later the pilot radioed that the aircraft would not reach the airport, he said.

The plane burst into flames when it crashed in a grassy median just off Interstate 40 and behind a Costco on the city’s westside. The crash scene was about 3 miles (4.8 kilometers) south of the general aviation airport.

“It appears that everyone on board perished,” Aaron said.

In a statement early Tuesday on the social media platform X, police said five people died. It said the Federal Aviation Administration was at the scene and the National Transportation Safety Board planned to arrive Tuesday.

Nashville International Airport spokesperson Stacey Nickens said the aircraft left Mount Sterling, Kentucky, around 7:19 p.m. and was set to arrive at John C. Tune Airport in Nashville around 7:43 p.m., The Tennessean reported.

There were no injuries to drivers on the interstate, Nashville Fire Department spokesperson Kendra Loney said. Authorities said no vehicles or buildings on the ground were damaged.