DEATH SPIRAL

Tragic New Details Revealed in Plane Crash That Killed Grammy-Winning Songwriter

One report stated that the aircraft entered a tightening spiral after a planned 360° turn.

New details lay out how Grammy-winning songwriter Brett James crashed while trying a 360° turn to land his plane. James—who in 2020 was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, and is best known for co-writing Carrie Underwood’s “Jesus, Take the Wheel” and Kenny Chesney’s “When the Sun Goes Down”—was killed on Sept. 18 when his Cirrus SR22T attempted to land at Macon County Airport in Franklin, North Carolina. People reported that investigators for the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) say James, 57, had requested a visual approach, then radioed that he would make a full turn to the runway. No further transmissions followed. Surveillance video showed the plane crossing the runway, banking into a descending left turn, then tightening into a spiral before impact in a field near Iotla Valley Elementary School. No signs of engine failure were found, according to the NTSB’s preliminary report, which also confirms the flight had come from John C. Tune Airport in Nashville. James’ wife, Melody Carole, 59, and her daughter, Meryl Wilson, 28, also died.