Three people died after a small plane broke apart in the air and scattered debris over a half-mile stretch in Tennessee, authorities said.
The single-engine Beechcraft V35 fell apart mid-flight just south of Nashville in the city of Franklin around midday Wednesday as it was headed from Gonzales, Louisiana to Louisville, according to News Channel 5.
“It does appear that the flight did break up in the air,” Williamson County Sheriff Mark Elrod told reporters during a Wednesday news conference.
Elrod noted officials have “a rather large debris field” spanning over half a mile that they would continue searching through Thursday.
Despite officials’ quick response, the three people aboard the plane did not survive.
“It was quickly evident that this would be a search-and-recovery operation, not a search-and-rescue operation,” he said.
“Unfortunately there were three souls on board and there were no survivors in the crash.”
Authorities have not yet released the names of the victims.
Emergency responders received a 911 call from a resident who said they saw an explosion and debris — and said there might have been a plane crash, around 12:05 p.m. Wednesday.
Audio from Air Traffic Control discussed the plane starting to descend from 9,000 feet — and revealed there were options for it to land 16 miles north, according to News Channel 5.
Air Traffic Control continued trying to reach the plane, but it wasn’t clear from the audio how the pilot responded.
“It sounds like contact lost,” the tower said.
The Williamson County Sheriff’s Office, Franklin Fire, Williamson County EMA and Williamson Health EMS responded to the crash.
According to the sheriff, authorities have received some calls about debris in yards and driveways, but no structural damage has been reported.
Authorities have asked residents to avoid the area while crews continue to search and clean up the scene.
The FAA, the Sheriff’s Office, and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the incident.