CUMBERLAND COUNTY, Tenn. (WATE) — The Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office reports a Knoxville man has died in a single-engine plane crash that was found by searchers in the Hinch Mountain Area on Tuesday afternoon.
The sheriff’s office says Vasile Ghelan, 35, has been identified as the deceased pilot of the single-engine plane (tagline: #N26889). That plane was based out of Knoxville Downtown Island Home Airport, and was a private plane with a flight school.
Ghelan was found dead at the crash site, and it was determined that no flight plan was filed, and the cause of the crash is unknown at this time.
The crash will be investigated by the FAA to determine the cause.
The crash was first reported at around 7:52 a.m. and several first responding agencies assisted in the search for the crash.