MORRISON, Tenn. (WOKI / WVLT) — Two brothers from the Viola community were killed Wednesday afternoon when a small plane crashed in Warren County.
According to the Warren County Sheriff’s Office, the crash was reported just after 12:19 p.m. Deputies responded to a corn field near Morrison Industrial Park, where they found a downed Cessna 177RG aircraft. Both occupants were pronounced dead at the scene.
Officials have not yet released the identities of the victims pending formal notification, but family members confirmed the two men were brothers and lived in nearby Viola.
Investigators say the plane had departed from a private airstrip in the Viola community shortly before the crash. A preliminary investigation indicates the aircraft struck a tree soon after takeoff, sustaining significant damage.
Authorities say the pilot then attempted to reach Warren County Memorial Airport but was unable to do so before the aircraft went down.
A Warren County commissioner, Blaine Wilcher, witnessed the crash while eating lunch outdoors. He told reporters he first heard what sounded like a struggling engine before looking up and seeing the plane descending rapidly.
“It sounded like it was laboring,” Wilcher said. “Other than a few times it seemed like the nose tried to come up, it pretty much went straight down.”
Wilcher called 911 as the aircraft crashed and later said his thoughts are with the victims’ family and the tight-knit local aviation community.
The sheriff’s office called the loss heartbreaking, noting both men were known by local pilots in the area.
The crash is one of six reported aviation accidents in Tennessee so far this year and the second to result in fatalities. The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are expected to assist in the ongoing investigation.
