Plane crash kills Georgia surgeon. Then someone stole the wing of the plane, TN cops say
A week after a plane crash left a Georgia surgeon dead, authorities are now looking for someone accused of stealing the wing of the destroyed aircraft.
On May 7, Lionel Meadows, a surgeon from Commerce, Georgia, was flying alone in a small plane after visiting family for the weekend, according to a Facebook post from Meadows Surgical Arts.
When he was caught up in a bad storm, the small plane crashed, the group said, and Meadows died a day later.
“Dr. Meadows was a beloved friend, mentor, and inspiration to many of us,” the post read. “He was a brilliant surgeon and doctor who touched the lives of so many with his kindness and passion for delivering exceptional patient care.”
Meadows’ plane, a 1978 Cessna, crashed in Polk County, Tennessee, and shattered into multiple pieces, WDEF reported. Officials first found the tail end of the plane but were still searching for other pieces and clues that could indicate how and why the plane crashed.
In the days after the crash, authorities enlisted the help of other aviators in the area to assist in the hunt, WTVC reported.
“We have made contact with local flight clubs and they are aiding in searching the area for any missing pieces of the plane,” Polk County 911 Emergency Communication District posted on Facebook. “So if you are in the area and see planes flying around, they are helping.”
Three days after the Meadows’ plane came down, the search became even more difficult — someone stole the wing of the plane.
“Monday night someone stole the right wing from the Plane off the side of the road on Fingerboard Rd near Witt Cemetery. This piece is very important to putting together the puzzle of what happened. This not only is to aid in the investigation but also to give family and even the emergency workers the closure they need,” Polk County 911 Emergency Communication District said in the post.
On May 15, WTVC reported that a security camera had captured the stolen wing being driven away from the crash site on the back of a blue pickup truck.
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office confirmed the wing was part of the crashed plane and asked for its safe return, WTVC reported.
“Honestly if they would just take it back and put it where they got it, that would be good enough for me,” Polk County 911 Emergency Communication District commented on their post.
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