Plane carrying skydivers crashes in Tennessee, multiple people injured: Authorities
A twin-engine propeller plane carrying nearly two dozen skydivers crashed Sunday afternoon near a Tennessee airport, authorities said.
Multiple people were injured in the crash, including one critically, authorities said. No deaths were reported, according to the Tullahoma Police Department.
The crash occurred in Tullahoma, about 77 miles southeast of Nashville, police said.
The skydiving flight was operated by Skydive Tennessee, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.
There were 20 licensed skydivers and a pilot on board, according to Skydive Tennessee. There were no students on the plane, the company said.
Six passengers were hospitalized, including one in critical condition, following the crash, officials said. Of those six, two were sent by helicopter and four by ground transport.
Vanderbilt University Medical Center said Monday it received four of the plane crash victims, including one in critical condition and three in stable condition.
Two people have since been released from the hospital, Skydive Tennessee said Monday.
The crash occurred around 12:30 p.m. local time, shortly after the aircraft departed from the Tullahoma Regional Airport, according to the Tullahoma Police Department.
The plane, a de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter aircraft, was flying "in support of skydiving operations" for the company when it "experienced an aborted takeoff" near the airport, Skydive Tennessee said in a statement.
A photo released on social media by the Tennessee Highway Patrol showed the plane in the aftermath of the crash with its nose on the ground and one of its wings missing.
One of the passengers credited the pilot for saving the lives of all on board.
"I owe him my life right now," the skydiver, who did not want to be named due to the ongoing investigation, told ABC News on Monday. "I'm forever indebted to that man."
He said he's still processing what happened but is "very proud of everybody that was involved in it."
"We all did what needed to be done in the moment," he added.
The plane was not equipped with a cockpit voice recorder or a flight data recorder, nor was it required to have either, according to the NTSB.
Required maintenance checks were confirmed and up to date at the time of the flight, according to Skydive Tennessee.
"We are incredibly grateful for the quick actions of our pilot, whose response likely prevented a far more serious outcome," Hans Paulsen, the owner of Skydive Tennessee, said in a statement. "While the incident has understandably shaken us all, we're relieved that no one was seriously injured. We're also deeply appreciative of the first responders who arrived so quickly and acted with professionalism and care. Our focus now is on supporting the investigation and our community."
The cause of the crash is under investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration.
ABC News' Chris Barry and Faith Abubey contributed to this report.
