Small plane crash off Nashville’s I-40 leaves several dead and forces highway closure

Several people were killed when a small airplane crashed on the side of Interstate 40 in Nashville Monday night, prompting the closure of the roadway as officials investigate, police said, Report informs via CNN.

“A single-engine airplane has crashed off the eastbound lanes of I-40 just past the Charlotte (Pike) exit. Several persons on board are deceased. Work continues to determine from where the plane originated,” the Metro Nashville Police Department said in a post on X.

Witness video shows an aircraft engulfed in flames and smoke, and images shared by police capture the aircraft’s mangled frame surrounded by first responders on a grassy roadside.

Live traffic cameras also showed a large emergency vehicle response blocking all eastbound travel lanes near the crash site and a string of gridlocked traffic leading up to the shut-down stretch of I-40 East.

The crash has prompted the closure of I-40 East at mile marker 202, Tennessee Department of Transportation Region 3 spokeswoman Rebekah Hammonds said on X.