Nashville cleared the runway for an emergency. Pilot said 'I'm too far away'

Emergency officials work the scene of a fatal small plane crash alongside Interstate 40 near mile marker 202, Monday, March 4, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The pilot of a single-engine plane that crashed near downtown Nashville told air traffic controllers he could see the runway they were clearing for an emergency landing. But he said they couldn’t make it.

“I’m going to be landing — I don’t know where!” the pilot said before the plane crashed alongside Interstate 40, killing all five people aboard.

The pilot radioed air traffic controllers at around 7:40 p.m. Monday reporting that his engine had shut down, according to a recording of their radio transmissions.

They gave him clearance to land at John C. Tune Airport, just west of downtown, and urged him to glide down to runway two.

But plane had already descended to 1,600 feet (488 meters), he said.

“I’m too far away. I’m not going to make it,” he said.

The plane burst into flames in the grass, just off the highway and behind a Costco on the city’s westside, about 3 miles (4.8 kilometers) south of the general aviation airport.

“It appears that everyone on board perished,” Metro Nashville Police Department spokesman Don Aaron said.

Police said the Federal Aviation Administration was at the scene and the National Transportation Safety Board planned to arrive Tuesday.

Nashville International Airport spokesperson Stacey Nickens said the aircraft left Mount Sterling, Kentucky, around 7:19 p.m. and was set to arrive at John C. Tune Airport around 7:43 p.m., The Tennessean reported.

There were no injuries to drivers on the interstate, Nashville Fire Department spokesperson Kendra Loney said. Authorities said no vehicles or buildings on the ground were damaged.

The Tennessee Department of Transportation announced Tuesday morning that they’ve closed the right lane alongside the crash site to give agencies the space and safety they need to continue their investigation.