Updated 10:00 p.m.
Emergency officials have named all seven people aboard a private jet that crash-landed into Percy Priest Lake on Saturday at 11 a.m. All are presumed to be deceased, according to a statement released by Rutherford County Fire Rescue around 10 p.m.
The victims include Gwen Shamblin Lara and her husband Joe, along with their son-in-law Brandon Hannah. Jennifer and David Martin and Jessica and Jonathan Walters were also on the plane. All seven are from Brentwood and help lead the Remnant Fellowship church started by Gwen.
Dive teams have been in the water and plan to resume in the morning. They say they have shifted from a rescue to a recovery effort.
So far, they have not found much of the eight-seater plane. The twin-engine jet had just taken off from the Smyrna airport, bound for Palm Beach International Airport, according to emergency officials.
Multiple agencies on scene of a small jet that crashed into Percy Priest Lake around 11:00 a.m. FAA & NTSB en route.
Dive Teams determining extent of crash site, examining the debris field, & conducting search & rescue.
Boaters and private aircraft urged to stay clear of area. pic.twitter.com/T5DjH3ozBr
— Rutherford County Fire Rescue (@RCFireRescue) May 29, 2021
The National Transportation Safety Board has been on the scene investigating the crash of the Cessna Citation 501 but released no initial cause for the sudden descent into the lake.
Documents filed with the Federal Aviation Administration show the plane is owned in a partnership led by Gwen Shamblin Lara and her husband. According to a trailer for a YouTube series about her life, Joe Lara, whom she married in 2018, is a pilot and regularly flies them around the country.
Sky5 got these aerials from the plane crash earlier this morning. Full Story:https://t.co/5nU80RWgh1 pic.twitter.com/Zi3IEoMAdx
— NewsChannel 5 (@NC5) May 29, 2021
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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