Overview
- The single-engine Cirrus SR22T, tail number N218VB, departed Nashville’s John C. Tune Airport and crashed near Franklin around 3 p.m. local time on Sept. 18.
- The wreckage was located near Iotla Valley Elementary School, and the Macon County Sheriff’s Office said students and staff were safe.
- The FAA reported three people on board with no survivors, and the NTSB has dispatched investigators to document the scene and gather witness accounts.
- Some outlets have reported the other victims as Melody Carole and Meryl Maxwell Wilson, while authorities have not yet issued formal identifications.
- James, 57, a Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame member and Grammy winner for co-writing “Jesus, Take the Wheel,” was widely mourned by artists and industry groups including ASCAP.