Asheville, NC (WOKI) Part of I-26 West in North Carolina remains closed following a plane crash Thursday night.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has confirmed that a Diamond DA-40 crashed along I-26 around 8:15 p.m. after declaring mayday due to engine failure.

“Mayday, mayday, we’ve got oil pressure failure, it looks like, and two ECU failures,” the pilot can be heard saying in a recording of the communication with air traffic control. “We’re coming in.”

In the recording, the pilot then says the engine lost all power but they were able to get it restarted to half power a couple of minutes later.

“Just to let you know guys know, we’ve got our engine restarted,” the pilot said. “We just heard a big bang, though, so we may lose it again here.”

The pilot then reported smoke coming into the cockpit. Unable to make it to the airport, the plane was forced to land on I-26 leading to the fiery crash.

Two people were on board the plane; they were sent to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

According to the FAA report, the plane was operated by Lift Training Academy and was being used for instruction. FlightAware’s tracker shows the plane traveled from Myrtle Beach to Knoxville, TN on Thursday before the crash in Asheville, North Carolina.

LIFT Academy released the following statement after the crash:

“On Thursday evening, one of our LIFT training flights made an emergency landing on a highway near Asheville, North Carolina. Our certificated flight instructor used their training and experience to land the aircraft without serious injury to themselves or any injury to persons on the ground. We are proud of the skill and composure our pilot and flight student demonstrated throughout the event and grateful to the first responders who attended to the scene to aid our pilots and secure the site. We have a team onsite assisting our pilots and the NTSB in its investigation. Per our standard procedures, we have instituted a 24-hour safety stand down for all LIFT operations.”

Gatlinburg, TN (WOKI) An investigation is underway in Gatlinburg after a man jumps to his death from the Space Needle.

Gatlinburg fire and police departments responded around 4:20 p.m. Wednesday to a report that a person jumped from the iconic tourist destination.

Gatlinburg Police Department officials say its Investigations Division was dispatched after a man’s body was discovered on the sidewalk below the Space Needle. Investigators say
witness statements and video evidence confirmed the man did jump from the observation deck of the structure, resulting in an apparent suicide.

The incident remains under investigation by the Gatlinburg Police Department.

The Gatlinburg Police Department encourages that if you or someone you know is struggling or in a crisis, help is available. Individuals seeking help can dial or text 988 for the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline or visit 988lifeline.org. The Gatlinburg Police Department and its staff are also available for those struggling or in a crisis and may be reached at 865-436-5181.

Dandridge, TN (WOKI) A Jefferson County man is arrested Tuesday on felony and misdemeanor charges related to the January 6, 2021 Capitol riots.

Officials with the U.S. Department of Justice say 51 year-old Bart Gore of Dandridge entered the Capitol Building on January 6 along with other people rioting over the result of the 2020 presidential election that Donald Trump lost. He was caught on several videos entering the building; investigators also said they had obtained messages Gore sent about attending the riots, some of which spoke of harming former president Barack Obama and former secretary of state Hillary Clinton.

Gore also stated on social media and in messages that he had bought a mouth guard and wasp spray for the event. According to the DOJ, he also stated he was bringing a rifle. Other messages showed Gore mentioning how he went inside the building and got tear gassed.

The case is being investigated by the FBI’s Knoxville and Washington offices.