GRAVES COUNTY, Ky. — The Graves County Sheriff’s Office is confirming the details of a plane crash on Sunday, Nov. 8, that occurred at 2:08 p.m., near the Mayfield Graves County Airport.
Photograph taken at the Mayfield Graves County Airport. The crashed plane is the blue L-39 Albatros on the left.
According to a post on Facebook, GCSO said that emergency responders discovered the plane in a field just off Spence Chapel Road engulfed in flames.
The agency confirmed the lone occupant, the pilot of the plane, was deceased.
According to the GCSO, the plane was a L-39 Albatros, an older military-style jet. GCSO said the pilot and his daughter who was also flying an L-39 Albatros, both from Wisconsin, were returning from an air show in Mississippi and stopped at the Mayfield Graves County Airport to refuel.
The release states that after take off, the pilot radioed that he was returning to the airport and was experiencing some issues before the plane went down in a field.
Local 6’s Nathan Espindula on the scene observing a large first responder presence near the scene of the crash.
Tyler Schmidt
The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board have already been notified and are responding to the scene, GCSO said. The area has been cordoned off and restricted during the cleanup and investigation.
The second L-39 Albatros being flown by the daughter returned to the airport, landing safely.
The GCSO said that any additional information should be directed towards the FAA and NTSB.
Smoke can be seen billowing from the crash site.
Local 6 reached out to the NTSB who said in an email that an investigator would begin documenting the scene and examining the crash on Monday evening, Nov. 9, and that the aircraft would be recovered and taken to a secure facility for further examination.
Local 6’s Nathan Espindula also spoke to residents nearby about what they saw and their reactions to the incident.