Small Airplane Crash Near Oxford, Mississippi Leaves One Dead, One Injured

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating an airplane crash near Oxford, Mississippi, that killed a pilot and injured his son.

According to Union County EMA Director Curt Clayton, Thursday, March 30, 2023, around 9 pm his agency was alerted after the plane had not returned to New Albany as expected.

“I was told yesterday morning he left sometime between 10 and 10:30 am and was to return by 2:30 pm or so that afternoon, that’s how much fuel he had in his plane,” Clayton said.

Clayton says the plane was found through a location app on a phone belonging to one of the plane’s occupants and the GPS coordinates showed the plane crashed in Lafayette County, off County Road 249. A joint operation with drones and ATVs found the aircraft.

When they arrived on the scene, they found the pilot deceased and his son was thought to be missing. They found him around midnight, and he was taken to the hospital with injuries.

Officials say the investigation into the cause of the crash is ongoing, and the identities of the occupants have not been released pending notification of their families.

NTSB says an investigator is expected to document the scene, examine the aircraft, request any air traffic communications, radar data, and weather reports, and try to contact any witnesses. 

Also, the investigator will request maintenance records of the aircraft, medical records, and the flight history of the pilot.