GRAVES COUNTY, Ky. — The Graves County Sheriff’s Office is confirming details of a plane crash on Sunday, November 8, which occurred at 2:08 p.m., near the Mayfield Graves County Airport. Photograph taken at the Mayfield Graves County Airport. The crashed plane is the blue L-39 Albatros on the left. According to a Facebook post, GCSO said emergency responders discovered the plane in a field just off Spence Chapel Road engulfed in flames. The agency confirmed that the sole occupant, the pilot of the plane, had died. According to GCSO, the plane was an L-39 Albatros, an older military-style aircraft. GCSO said the pilot and his daughter, who was also flying an L-39 Albatros, both from Wisconsin, were returning from an air show in Mississippi and stopped at the Mayfield Graves County Airport to refuel. The statement states that after takeoff, the pilot radioed that he was returning to the airport and was experiencing some problems before the plane crashed in a field. Local 6’s Nathan Espindula on scene observing a large first responder presence near the crash site. Tyler Schmidt The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board have already been notified and are responding to the scene, GCSO said. The area has been cordoned off and restricted during the cleanup and investigation. The second L-39 Albatros piloted by the daughter returned to the airport and landed safely. The GCSO said any additional information should be directed to the FAA and NTSB. Smoke can be seen rising from the crash site. Local 6 contacted the NTSB, who said in an email that an investigator would begin documenting the scene and examining the crash on Monday night, Nov. 9, and that the aircraft would be recovered and taken to a secure facility for further examination. Local 6’s Nathan Espindula also spoke to nearby residents about what they saw and their reactions to the incident.
