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Tupelo Plane Crash: Are Pre-Flight Errors To Blame? Photos Inside [Updated]

By Antonio J. Newell
Published on: 07:11 PST, May 16, 2016

A single-engine plane crashes in Tupelo, Mississippi, on May 16. Accordingly, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is on-scene attempting to determine if there were any possible pre-flight errors. So far, there has been one development in that regard.

According to Yahoo News, during FAA investigation into the Tupelo plane crash, representatives state that the aircraft’s pilot had reported smoke in the cockpit shortly after takeoff. Authorities were attempting to determine if the plane’s pilot had sent out any distress calls prior to the Tupelo crash. However, the aforementioned is newly-developed information regarding the aircraft’s possible errors.

[Update: 4:05 p.m. EST]

The Associated Press reports that a Mississippi coroner has collected DNA evidence at the crash scene. Lee County Coroner Carolyn Green says that she intends to use the DNA samples to identify the bodies of those from the plane incident. Specifically, the coroner states that she has to use DNA evidence due to a fire from the Tupelo crash.

She also mentions that the recovered bodies are being transported to Jackson for autopsy and examination.

The plane crash is still undergoing investigation. The Inquisitr will continue to update the Tupelo story as more information becomes available.

[Original Story]

As of now, the coroner hasn’t been allowed to assess the situation until the FAA gives clearance. According to the Daily Mail, once the FAA releases the crash scene, the coroner will be able to come aboard in order to perform determining-specific tasks.

At the crash scene in Tupelo, Mississippi, authorities report that they found bodies along the premises. Tupelo Police Chief Bart Aguirre mentioned the airport’s log and that it rendered three people aboard the plane, excluding the aircraft’s pilot, as notes the source. The Tupelo police chief also expressed that there were no survivors at the scene, including the pilot. Likewise, authorities haven’t released the names of those who were on the flight, which was scheduled to leave from Tupelo. And since the plane was quite “broken up,” there was a lot of debris, mentions the police chief.

The source also notes that the plane was registered to Henry Jackson of Kerrville, Texas. The source notes that it’s possible that he was aboard the plane at the time of the crash, whether as pilot or passenger is undetermined.

Reportedly, before the Tupelo crash, the pilot had flown the aircraft from Kerrville to Mississippi with three passengers. They arrived in Tupelo on Sunday. On Monday, May 16, the plane was scheduled to travel to Charlottesville, Virginia. According to the log, the plane was set to take off from Tupelo Regional Airport at 8:30 a.m. However, upon takeoff, the plane flew approximately half a mile north of the airport and crashed, says the source.

Regarding the incident, Tupelo Mayor Jason Shelton mentions the incident as a “worst-case” situation. He expresses his condolences as follows.

“We send out heartfelt condolences for the pilot and passengers on the plane. No information has been released but no survivors have been located. It appears to be a worst case scenario. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families.”

As for the plane’s make and model, WSLS-10 News reports it as a Beech Bonanza B36 single-engine aircraft.

While this Tupelo story continues to develop, feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below regarding the plane crash.

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