UNION CITY, Tenn. — Two people are dead outside of a West Tennessee town after their plane crashed while practicing aerobatic maneuvers Wednesday morning.
According to the Obion County Sheriff's Department, they were called to the scene of the plane crash near Everett-Stewart Regional Airport outside Union City, Tennessee, around 10:49 a.m. Wednesday.
There, they found two people dead inside the Xtremeair XA42 aerobatics plane. The Sheriff's Department said witnesses on scene told them the plane nose-dived into a nearby solar farm while it was practicing aerobatic maneuvers. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) were called in to investigate the cause of the crash.
The NTSB said the plane was on an aerobatic instructional flight, but cannot determine a cause until their investigator arrives to the scene Thursday morning, where they will gather information on the plane's flight track data, maintenance records and communications with air traffic control.
The victims of the crash were not identified by the Sheriff's Department or the NTSB. A spokesperson with the airport said the two were both pilots who were not local to the area.
"Everett Stewart Regional Airport extends our deepest sympathy and condolences to the family and friends of the pilots involved in the crash today," said Don Coady.
