1 Killed In Fatal Plane Crash At Tennessee Airport

Local and federal authorities are investigating a fatal plane crash that happened around 1 p.m. Monday (August 29) at an airport in East Tennessee.

Campbell County Mayor E.L. Morton confirmed that at least one person was killed Monday when a plane crashed at the Campbell County Airport, also known as the Col. Tommy C Stiner Airfield, in Jacksboro, WATE reports. According to a preliminary investigation, a single-engine, two-seater Aeronca 7AC airplane crashed at the airfield just before 1 p.m. as it was taking off. At this time, it is unclear what caused the crash, the airport's first since the 1960s.

Only the pilot was on board at the time of the crash, per WVLT. The identity of the person who was killed in the crash is unknown, but Morton sent well wishes to the pilot's family.

"We are prayerful for the family of the pilot and we hope to have more information at the conclusion of the FAA and NTSB investigations," said Morton.

The airport will be shut down for an unknown period of time. Both the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the incident to determine what caused the fatal crash. An investigator with the NTSB is expected to arrive at the scene either late Monday or early Tuesday to begin the investigation, which could take anywhere from 12 to 24 months to complete.

As of 2:30 p.m. CT, no additional information has been released.