Overview

• A Cirrus SR22T went down in a field near Franklin, N.C., around 3 p.m. on Sept. 18, killing all three people on board, according to the FAA.
• The crash occurred next to Iotla Valley Elementary School, and the Macon County Sheriff’s Office reported that students and staff were uninjured.
• FAA records list the aircraft as registered to Brett James Cornelius of Brentwood, Tenn., and flight data show a departure from Nashville’s John C. Tune Airport.
• Multiple outlets reported that Brett James was piloting the plane, while officials said the FAA and NTSB are investigating and have not released a cause.
• James won a Grammy for co-writing Carrie Underwood’s “Jesus, Take the Wheel,” was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2020, and was honored by peers and industry groups following his death.