Pilot killed in Brentwood plane crash identified

BRENTWOOD, Tenn. (WSMV) - The Brentwood Police Department responded to a downed aircraft in Brentwood on Tuesday morning.

BPD confirmed a man died when a small plane crashed on Old Smyrna Road. The pilot’s family identified him as 62-year-old Christopher Wiltcher.

The area will be closed from Jones Parkway to Edmondson Pike to traffic for members of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to investigate the incident.

The FAA reported the plane was a single-engine Piper PA-32 and Wiltcher was flying alone. The plane took off from Springfield-Robertson County Airport in Springfield, Tennessee and was headed for Fayetteville Municipal Airport in Fayetteville, Tennessee.

In an audio recording obtained by WSMV 4, Wiltcher can be heard telling an air traffic controller he was having engine problems. He requested an emergency landing at John C. Tune Airport, before asking to land at Nashville International Airport.

Wiltcher can be heard asking the air traffic controller to tell his family he loves them. WSMV 4 News has chosen not to air the recording.

Brentwood officials also confirmed the plane took out multiple power lines when it came down, causing several outages in the area. Those have since been restored.

“When we got up of course we had power but around 7:40, all of our power went out,” said neighbor Ray Mercer. “Just a few minutes later, we heard all the sirens come by. First it was an emergency vehicle, fire department, then all the cops coming by.”

The road will remain closed until the wreckage is cleared. The NTSB will begin its crash investigation on Wednesday.

Wiltcher’s family said Wednesday morning he was a traveling OBGYN who had been practicing for over 30 years. He has been flying since he was 15 and flew for leisure.

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