The Macon County Sheriff’s Office says students and staff at Lotla Valley Elementary School are safe following a fatal plane crash near the school grounds.
Authorities confirm the crash happened Thursday afternoon, September 18, just west of the school. The sheriff’s office quickly notified parents that children were not in danger.
Macon County dispatch says a small Cirrus SR22T aircraft went down around 3 p.m. near Franklin, killing all three people on board. The plane had departed earlier from John C. Tune Airport in Nashville.
Among the victims was Grammy-winning songwriter and Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame member Brett James. He was 57. James was best known for writing chart-topping hits like “Jesus Take the Wheel” for Carrie Underwood and “When the Sun Goes Down” for Kenny Chesney.
Federal records list the plane’s tail number as N218VB, registered to James of Brentwood, Tennessee.
The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board have opened an investigation. The NTSB says an investigator is expected to be on scene by Friday, with a preliminary report to follow. North Carolina Highway Patrol is assisting at the site.
