NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Five people were killed when a single-engine airplane crashed next to a Tennessee highway Monday evening. The victims were identified Wednesday as a young Canadian family.
Rimma Dotsenko, her husband, Victor, and their three children Emma, Adam and David perished when their 1978 Piper PA-32R experienced a mechanical problem and the engine shutdown, Canada’s King Township Mayor Steve Pellegrini announced.
“On behalf of King Township, I extend our deepest condolences to the families and friends of the Dotsenko family from our community who tragically lost their lives in the small plane crash in Nashville, Tennessee,” Pellegrini’s statement read.
“This is a heartbreaking and devastating loss for our tight-knit community. While we await further details from the ongoing investigation, our thoughts and prayers are with the loved ones of the victims during this incredibly difficult time. We also extend our gratitude to the first responders and officials involved in the response and investigation.”
Victor and Rimma Dotsenko along with their three children, Emma, Adam and David, were identified as the victims of Monday’s Nashville plane crash. (UMCA Rich Tree Academy)
The family was just a few miles from John C. Tune Airport in Nashville when they went down on a grassy median and burst into flames off the eastbound lanes of Interstate 40 past the Charlotte Pike exit, the Metro Nashville Police Department said.
Victor Dotsenko was at the controls of the doomed plane, alerting air traffic controllers that his “engine turned off,” the New York Post reported.
News Now 24 obtained video of the stunning fire ball that occurred during the crash as well as footage from the tragic aftermath.
Small plane crashes along I-40 in Nashville, TN. Multiple fatalities. pic.twitter.com/vjPtcRBKFB
— News Now 24🌐 (@GlobalNewsNow24) March 5, 2024
The control tower at John Tune Airport received a message from the pilot saying the aircraft was experiencing engine and power failure and needed permission to land, a police spokesperson told reporters on Monday night, reported ABC News.
According to cockpit audio on LiveATC.net, the following dialogue occurred:
“I’m declaring an emergency,” the pilot says.
“Do you still have John C. Airport in sight?” the controller asks him.
“My engine shut down,” the pilot replies. “My engine turned off. I’m at 1,600 (feet)… I’m going to be landing, I don’t know where.”
The controller instructs him to continue the approach, The Post reported.
“Straight in runway 2, straight in runway 2 at John Tune. Do you have the airport in sight?… you’re clear to land,” the controller says.
The pilot says he has the airport in sight but sadly notes, “I’m too far away, I won’t make it.”
The father of three graduated from the Brampton Flight Centre in 2022 with a private pilot license, CityNews reported.
The aircraft departed from Mount Sterling, Kentucky, just 30 minutes prior to the crash. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigators said the flight originated in Ontario, Canada and also made a stop in Erie, Pennsylvania, according to the New York Post.
“For reasons unknown,” the Dotsenko’s had overflown the Nashville airport just moments before reporting the emergency, officials said.
The three children attended a private school, UMCA Rich Tree Academy.
“These beautiful children lit up our hallways every day. They all had such a positive energy and attitude toward their friends and teachers,” a statement from the school read.
“Words cannot express the profound sadness and grief we are experiencing as we mourn the loss of the Dotsenko family.”
The NTSB and Federal Aviation Administration are investigating the cause of the deadly crash.
