NTSB releases preliminary report on deadly Giles County plane crash
GILES COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) – The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released its preliminary findings on a deadly plane crash in Giles County.
Just after 11 a.m. on Dec. 7, a Beech 35-C33 airplane was destroyed after it crashed into a remote area of Giles County and caught fire. A bystander called 911 and said they saw the plane go down on the back of their property.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Two dead after small plane crash reported in Giles County
The Giles County Sheriff’s Department later confirmed the single-engine aircraft crashed on a farm near Diana Road. Both people on board the plane died in the crash. They have since been identified as 45-year-old Jenny Blalock, who was piloting the plane, and her father, 78-year-old James Blalock Jr., both of Knoxville.
Officials have since confirmed the plane took off from Knoxville and was bound for Benton, Arkansas.
According to the NTSB, during the flight, a controller told Jenny she was off course. Jenny acknowledged and told the controller she was correcting, but minutes later the plan entered a series of climbs and descents, lasting for about 40 minutes.
A short time later, the plane began to descend very rapidly. Jenny declared an emergency during the last few seconds of the flight. About one minute later, “a faint and largely unintelligible transmission from the passenger was transmitted,” according to the report.
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The NTSB’s preliminary report can be found below:
Report_ERA24FA058_193491_12_19_2023-7_56_29-PMDownload
The cause of the crash has still not been determined.
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