NEWPORT, Tenn. (WOKI / WVLT) — A respected East Tennessee physician who spent decades caring for patients in Cocke County has died following a plane crash in Florida.
Family Practice Center in Newport announced that Dr. Michael Hood was killed Monday when the single-engine aircraft he was piloting crashed in Titusville, Florida.
According to emergency responders, the crash occurred around 10 a.m. along State Road 405. Authorities said witnesses reported seeing the aircraft strike a power line before it crashed onto the roadway.
Titusville firefighters responded to the scene and extinguished a fire caused by the crash with assistance from airport rescue crews.
“The sole occupant of the aircraft was pronounced deceased,” officials said.
Federal investigators from the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board have joined local and state agencies in investigating the cause of the crash. The damaged aircraft was later removed from the scene by a specialized recovery company.
Dr. Hood leaves behind a legacy of service that extends far beyond the walls of his medical practice.
According to Family Practice Center, Hood graduated from the University of Tennessee in Memphis. He later completed his internship and residency training at East Tennessee State University and became board-certified in family medicine.
In 1982, Hood helped found Family Practice Center in Newport, where he spent more than four decades serving patients throughout Cocke County and surrounding communities.
He was also recognized as a Fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians, reflecting his long-standing commitment to the medical profession.
Outside medicine, Hood was deeply involved in the community. He served as Scoutmaster for Boy Scout Troop 497, was a team leader for the local rescue squad’s search-and-rescue team and participated in the Newport Theatre Guild.
He also pursued a passion for winemaking as owner of Goodwater Vineyard.
Friends, patients and colleagues are remembering Hood as a community leader who dedicated much of his life to helping others through medicine, public service and volunteer work.
The FAA and NTSB investigations into the crash remain ongoing.
