FAYETTEVILLE, TN (WSMV) -
A 70-year-old man killed in a Lincoln County small plane crash Tuesday has been identified as a retired NASA engineer, according to the The Huntsville Times.
The plane went down just before noon in a field on Cutoff Trail near Liberty Road. There are two airports within 50 miles of where the aircraft crashed.
Larry Sheaks' widow, Mattie, said her husband was a life support specialist during the famous Apollo 13 mission in 1970.
He and hundreds of other engineers worked around the clock to bring the astronauts back to earth safely after an oxygen fuel tank explosion.
His widow said it was the first time he tried to fly the plane.
The National Transportation Safety Board has launched an investigation into the fatal crash.
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