On October 29, 2013, a Windsor Flying Club Cessna 172R Skyhawk crash landed at Nashville International Airport, killing the pilot. There was dense fog early Tuesday morning when the crash occurred, and the airport was closed. The crash occurred some time between 2:00 a.m. (the final sweep of the runways) and its discovery at 8:45 a.m. by a taxiing jet pilot.
The plane is one of three belonging to Canada’s Windsor Flying Club school fleet.
National Transportation Safety Board spokesman Peter Knudson said that the plane sat on the runway for hours before it was discovered Tuesday morning. The crash apparently occurred Monday night. Metro Police, Metro Fire and Metro OEM, the medical examiner, and an accident investigator from National Transportation Safety Board responded belatedly. The accident occurred on Runway 2, which was closed on discovery of the wreckage. Operations at the rest of the airport continued as usual.
The FAA is on the scene. The pilot was in his mid forties, was night-rated but not instrument-rated (i.e. he was not cleared to fly in low visibility like the dense fog that blanketed Nashville.) His name has not been released. He rented the plane from Monday 8.pm. to Tuesday noon.
The investigation has not yet determined if the pilot made the required contact with ATC. The plane as no flight data recorder but it does have gps and current instrumentation.
Nashville Airport Statement
As reported yesterday by Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority (MNAA), a small single-engine Cessna-172 crashed at Nashville International Airport on Tuesday, October 29, 2013. The Airport Emergency Plan requires MNAA to notify the National Transportation Safety Board in the event of an accident and the NTSB begins an investigation to determine the probable cause of the accident and other facts related to it. This investigation is now underway and the NTSB will issue a preliminary report in 10 days and a final report in 9 – 12 months.
Importantly, the time of the crash has not been determined and reports to the contrary are not factual. These facts will be determined as part of the NTSB investigation.
Following is a statement from MNAA:
“The MNAA’s top priority is the safety and security of all operations at the airport. As an FAA certificated airport, MNAA is required to comply with the FAA’s safety standards. MNAA has long maintained a strong record of safety and follows stringent federal safety regulations. We are inspected annually by FAA safety inspectors to ensure compliance. We uphold these regulations every day, including yesterday. We have inspectors and crash, fire and rescue personnel on duty 24 hours per day, 365 days per year to respond in the event of any emergency.
“MNAA is working collaboratively with the FAA and NTSB as they investigate the accident and determine the facts. It would be premature to comment about any facts involving this accident until the NTSB completes its investigation. All of us at the airport express heartfelt condolences to the family of the pilot involved in this accident.”
United Airlines flight UA-789 had to return and make an emergency landing at Portland International Airport, Oregon, on October 13th.
Delta Airlines flight DL-527 suffered a bird strike near Salt Lake City International Airport, Utah, on October 14th.