Plane crash in Tennessee blamed on pilot’s mistake

A small plane crashed in Tennessee last year, killing a Canadian family of five. The crash happened on March 4, 2024, near Nashville. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) says the pilot’s error caused the crash. The pilot, Victor Dotsenko, was flying the plane. The investigation found no mechanical problems with the plane. Instead, the problem was with the fuel system. The NTSB believes Dotsenko made a mistake while preparing for landing, which caused the engine to run out of fuel.

The family and their flight from Ontario

The family that died in the crash was from King Township, Ontario. Victor Dotsenko, 43, was the pilot of the plane. His wife, Rimma, 39, was with him. They also had three children with them: David, 12, Adam, 10, and Emma, 7. The family was on a flight to Nashville, Tennessee. They had already made stops in Pennsylvania and Kentucky to refuel. The plane was on its final approach to Nashville when the crash happened.

The crash near Nashville and the fire

The crash took place near Interstate 40, close to a Costco store. The plane caught fire after hitting the ground. It crashed about 3 miles from the John C Tune Airport in Nashville. The fire started in the grass next to the highway. Passing motorists saw the plane crash and were scared. Some of them even called 911, shocked by what they had just witnessed.

What happened with the plane during the flight? The pilot’s final moments

Victor Dotsenko was flying the Piper PA-32RT, a single-engine plane. He had already contacted air traffic controllers as he lined up with the runway. However, for reasons that are unclear, he did not descend to land. Instead, he asked to circle and try again. Air traffic controllers asked him if he still had the airport in sight. Dotsenko replied that the plane’s engine had shut off. He said, “I’m going to be landing, I don’t know where.” The controllers advised him to try gliding in for a landing. But Dotsenko said, “I’m too far away. I’m not going to make it.” That was his last transmission.

Plane’s engine failure and witnesses

When investigators analyzed audio from the crash, they found that the plane engine was running at full power just before it failed. The engine had been operating at about 2,650 rpm. Then, the sound of the engine became strange. There were several popping noises before the engine stopped completely. Witnesses who saw the plane crash were deeply shaken. Many of them called 911, unable to believe what they had just seen. One caller said, “Oh my God. It almost hit my car!” It was clear the crash had shocked many who had witnessed it.

The NTSB conducted a yearlong investigation. They found no mechanical problems with the plane. However, they identified an issue with the fuel selector. The selector was between the “off” position and the left main tank position. This would have starved the engine of fuel. Investigators believe this happened because Dotsenko was preparing for landing. The fuel selector was likely moved by the pilot during this process, causing the fuel to be cut off. This mistake led to the engine failure and the plane crash.

In the end, the NTSB concluded that pilot error was the main cause of the crash. They believe that if Dotsenko had set the fuel selector correctly, the plane engine would have continued to run, and the crash might have been avoided.