Nashville, Tenn. (AP) – A fiery small plane crash in Tennessee killed a Canadian family of five last year was the result of a pilot’s mistake, according to a National Transportation Safety Commission report released this week.
A long-term investigation on March 4, 2024, the crash found that the aircraft had no mechanical problems, although the fuel selector was located between the “close” position and the left main tank position.
“This environment will starve the fuel engine, which may be the result of a pilot changing the fuel selector handle in preparation for landing,” the report said.
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The Piper PA-32RT single-engine plane crashed along with Interstate 40 within the city of Nashville, which scared the passing motorists. It exploded on grass near the highway, behind a Costco in the city’s west side, about 3 miles (4.8 km) south of John C Tune Airport in Nashville.
Victor Dotsenko, 43, is flying the plane. Passengers were his wife Rimma, 39, and their three children, David, Adam, 12, Adam, 10, and Emma, 7. The family is from King Township, Ontario.
Their flight originated in Ontario, stopped to refuel in Pennsylvania and Kentucky, and then tried to contact the air traffic controller at 7:40 pm and line up with the runway, but he failed to descend for unknown reasons. He asked to stroll around and approach the runway again.
When a controller asked Dotsenko if there was still an airport, he said his engine was shut down. The controller asked him again if he was going to land.
“I’m going to land, I don’t know where,” Dotsenko said.
One controller told him they were clearing the runway and urged him to try to slide in.
But Dotsenko said in his last gearbox: “I’m too far. I won’t do it.”
Analysis of residential audio and video recordings “showed that the engine ran almost continuously at about 2,650 rpm before the engine sound became abnormal, and the audio contained several “pop-up” sounds before the engine noise ended,” the report said.
Based on the audio of the phone obtained through the public record request, many witnesses called 911, and some of them were still shocked and incredible by what they saw.
“Oh my god. It almost hit my car!” said a caller.
