Recording reveals
possible cockpit alarm just before jet crashed into Percy Priest Lake
ATC radio
recordings also reveal that, when the pilot responded to controllers directing
him to turn, there is the sound of alarms sounding in the cockpit,
suggesting the pilot was struggling to maintain control.
NASHVILLE, Tenn.
(WTVF) — A small jet that crashed into Percy Priest Lake Saturday morning,
killing seven leaders of a Brentwood church, began dropping dramatically
just 90 seconds into its flight, air traffic control records show.
ATC radio
recordings also reveal that, when the pilot responded to controllers
directing him to turn, there is the sound of a possible alarm in the
cockpit. Some pilots told NewsChannel 5 that it sounded unusual, while
others suggested such sounds would be expected during takeoff.
FAA altitude data
shows the Cessna C501, a small business jet, appears to have briefly
regained altitude before plummeting into the lake from 2,900 feet in just
seconds in a high-impact crash.
All seven people
on board -- Remnant Fellowship founder Gwen Shamblin Lara, her husband Joe
Lara and five other church leaders -- are presumed dead, authorities said.
Multiple agencies
continued operations through the night to recover wreckage, according to a
Sunday morning update from Rutherford County officials.
Dive teams from
Rutherford County Fire Rescue, Metro Nashville Office of Emergency
Management, Metro Nashville Police Department, and Wilson County Emergency
Management Agency will be conducting dive operations in recovery efforts
throughout the day.
The lead
investigator from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is
expected to be on site midday to join local officials and Federal Aviation
Administration representatives already on site, the announcement said.
According to ATC
records, the jet with the tail number N66BK took off to the northwest from
the Smyrna-Rutherford County Airport at 10:53 a.m. Saturday.
The aircraft
climbed to 2,900 feet as it began turning to the northeast.
An air traffic
controller gave the pilot directions to turn to the southeast.
When the pilot
acknowledged the directions, there is the sound of some sort of alarm in
the cockpit.
Ninety seconds
into the flight, the jet drops to 2,600 feet, then 2,500 feet, before
plummeting to 1,900 feet in just six seconds.
Tracking records
show the pilot apparently pulled the plane back up to 2,900 feet just nine
seconds later, then the aircraft went into a steep dive into Percy Priest
Lake.
When the aircraft
dropped off radar, the air traffic controller began repeatedly calling out
to the pilot, asking: "How do you hear?"
There was no
response.
The aircraft had
been registered to JL&GL Productions LP on March 2nd, 2020, Federal
Aviation Administration records show. That is a partnership belonging to
Joe Lara and Gwen Shamblin Lara.
Joe Lara was
certified as a commercial pilot just nine days later, FAA records reveal.
In addition to
recovering victims, investigators will be attempting to recover plane
debris that may offer clues about what caused the crash.
“With dive teams
in the water, we are strongly urging civilian boaters to stay away from the
public safety boats,” said Rutherford County incident commander John Ingle.
“This is for their safety and the safety of our personnel in the water.”
Ingle also noted
that the Lamar Hill boat ramp and Fate Sanders Recreation area are closed
until further notice.
“Recovery efforts
are ongoing on the lake from the Weakley Lane bridge to the Lamar Hill Boat
Ramp,” said Ingle. “We are asking all civilian boaters to stay clear of
those areas.”
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