LITTLE ROCK — Three people thought to be Arkansans died Monday in a fiery plane crash outside Nashville, Tenn.
Their bodies were found near the twin-engine Beech Baron that plummeted into a hill in a rural area northwest of Nashville after they took off from the Hot Springs airport Monday morning, authorities said.
Tennessee authorities identified the three killed in the crash as pilot Gregory Secrest, 67; Rodney "Nick" Tillman, 49; and his wife, Rebecca A. Tillman, 42, all of Hot Springs. However, the bodies found were burned beyond recognition, and dental records will beused to confirm their identities, Nashville police and fire officials said.
Nick Tillman, co-owner of The Earthbound Trading Co., which sells clothes and jewelry, was traveling to Nashville for a business trip, authorities said.
It was unclear Monday what caused the crash around 10:45 a.m., but local authorities described the conditions as rainy and cloudy.
Secrest, who was equipped to fly in inclement weather, was in contact with air traffic control at Nashville International Airport when the plane went down, FAA spokesman Les Dorr said.
The plane was en route to the international airport, the area's major commercial airport, after departing from Hot Springs Memorial Field Airport sometime after 9 a.m.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating. Spokesman Terry Williams could provide few details Monday.
"We're in the very early stages of this investigation right now,"he said.
When firefighters arrived at the crash scene off Laws Road in Davidson County, the plane was engulfed in flames, said Charles Shannon, a district chief with the Nashville Fire Department.
It crashed just 80 yards from a home, he said, noting that it was miles from any of the area airports, including Nashville International, which is on the southwest side of the city.
The destroyed plane was registered to Secrest and his wife, Debra Secrest. No one answered the phone Monday at the family's home or business.
Arkansas, Pages 7, 12 on 11/25/2008