Small plane crashes in Tennessee, killing all 3 on board

A single-engine plane crashed in Tennessee on Saturday morning, killing three people on board, officials said.

A single-engine plane crashed in Tennessee on Saturday morning, killing three people on board, officials said.

The Mooney M20TN crashed south of Upper Cumberland Regional Airport in Sparta, according to a statement from the Federal Aviation Administration.

Dean Selby, the airport’s director, said the airport heard reports of an aircraft going down at approximately 11:50 a.m. Shortly after, the Memphis Air Traffic Control Center called the airport to say it had lost communication and contact with an aircraft.

The plane departed from Alabama and was on its descent into the airport when it crashed, Selby said.

Emergency management and fire and rescue workers, along with volunteers, looked for the crash site and were able to find it after the airport sent a plane up to search from the air, the director said.