FAA, NTSB investigate crash of small plane at local airport

The occupants of a small aircraft that was being taken out for an inaugural flight Sunday were said to have sustained injuries when the plane crashed during takeoff.

Reports filed through the Lawrence County Sheriff’s Department show that the crash occurred at around 1:17 p.m. at the Lawrenceburg-Lawrence County Airport.

Deputies were dispatched to the emergency room at Southern Tennessee Regional Healthcare to take statements from the crash victims. Charles Sikes, Jr., was piloting the plane with passenger Leon Everett.

Sikes told deputies that he had recently purchased the plane and built it inside a hanger at the airport. He had just received word that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had approved the plane for flight and they were taking it up for an inaugural run. He said that they were taking off from the south end of the runway, heading north, when the crash occurred. Sikes said the plane left the ground, “And immediately started going left and down.” He said that he attempted to prevent the crash, but that “nothing worked.” The plane struck a tree, then took a nosedive into a field.

Everett, who Sikes referred to as the more experienced pilot, told deputies that Sikes, “Was doing all he could do to correct the plane, but nothing was working.”

Deputies indicate that the craft was listed with the FAA as an experimental plane.
Officials with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) were expected to be on-site Monday morning to investigate. The investigation is being conducted through the FAA and NTSB.