Plane may have flown into precipitation before crashing, killing 3 near Franklin, report says

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) – The National Transportation Safety Board has released its preliminary report into a fatal crash that occurred in Williamson County in mid-May.

In the report, the NTSB details what led to the accident near Franklin on May 15. Three people were killed: Baton Rouge plastic surgeon Dr. Lucuis “Tre” Doucet and two of his three adult children, Giselle and Jean Luc.

Giselle was studying veterinary medicine at the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine. Jean Luc was an engineering student at LSU. Both were scheduled to graduate this weekend.

In the report, Pilot Doucet requested an air traffic control waiver, which was approved. However, the reason for the deviation was not mentioned by the pilot nor asked by the controller, according to the report.

Doucet then requested a higher elevation, which was approved. What followed was the last transmission received from the flight — you can find the final transmission explained in the report below:

During the climb to 9,000 feet msl, the pilot was instructed to follow a heading of 360° and to expect “On course in about fifteen miles.” The pilot was then cleared to proceed directly to VORTAC EWO (New Hope, Kentucky), and he acknowledged receipt of clearance. The aircraft climbed to ERA24FA217. This information is preliminary and subject to change. 9,500 ft msl, before the pilot was ordered to maintain 9,000 ft msl. The controller again asked the pilot to descend to 9,000 ft msl and provided the current altimeter setting; this was acknowledged by the pilot and was the last transmission received from the flight.

The report also said the plane entered an area of ​​moderate to heavy precipitation, according to preliminary data.

“The aircraft descended momentarily to 8,900 feet, then made a right turn to the northeast for several kilometers before beginning a descending right turn to a course of 213°. Ground speed increased from 180 knots to 214 knots and vertical speed decreased to a descent of 4,000 fpm,” the NTSB reported.

The controller attempted to contact the pilot several times, without response, and radar contact was then lost.

“ADS-B data for the final moments of the flight showed that as the aircraft entered a descent rate of 5,000 fpm, the ground speed decreased rapidly to 43 knots and the vertical speed then reached a rate of descent of more than 15,000 fpm,” the report states. declared.

Several witnesses to the crash said they heard the plane as it descended and heard a loud noise. A witness recorded video showing pieces of the plane falling through a cloud layer above, the NTSB reports.

The NTSB describes how the wreckage was scattered in a “fan-shaped pattern” and extended over a radius of more than half a mile. Crews were able to salvage about 90 percent of the wreckage, with the engine and propeller found at the end of the wreck path, where it hit a lake.

You can read the full NTSB preliminary accident report below.

Doucet owned the plane and had taken off from an airfield in Gonzales, La., in Ascension Parish, three hours before the crash, en route to Louisville.

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