NTSB releases the preliminary report on cause of plane crash

A NorthEnd Volunteer Fire Department truck sits in the field close to the plane crash, on April 26, 2025, to ensure the security of the scene. (Photo by Josh Austin)

The National Transportation Safety Board has released a preliminary report about the April 26, 2025, plane crash, in Sparta, that left three dead.

The crash occurred a short distance from Upper Cumberland Regional Airport as a pilot returned from Alabama with two passengers. The NTSB recently posted their preliminary report, which states, “Initial examination of the engine revealed evidence of internal catastrophic malfunction.”

Pilot Jonathan Braun and passengers Dylan and Kelsie Davis were the victims of the crash. Earlier that morning, Braun had left Upper Cumberland Regional Airport to go to Shelby County Airport, in Alabama. That is where he picked up the Davis’s before heading back to Upper Cumberland Regional Airport.

In the report, the flight was said to have “no reported distress call made by the pilot.” It was not until after the pilot reported that the flight was three miles away from Upper Cumberland Regional Airport, known as SRB for its airport code, that things went wrong.

From the report: “The flight continued towards SRB until 1146:55, after which time a slight deviation to the right occurred. A witness who was located about .3 nautical mile west-northwest of the accident site reported there was, ‘some kind of trouble the engine was cutting in and out like it was out of gas.’ She observed the airplane was in level flight then diverted her attention and then heard the sound of a crash.”

The report also lists that, “The No. 3 cylinder connecting rod was fractured and not attached at either end. The No. 3 cylinder connecting rod journal did not display any evidence of lack of lubrication. The engine was retained for further examination.”

A shoulder harness airbag electronic module, portion of the pitch trim system, and an annunciator panel were also retrieved from the site by the NTSB.

The NTSB must continue the investigation before making any definitive claims. Typically, the final report that gives the specific cause of the crash takes about a year to release. This preliminary report serves only to list all the known facts of the crash. The report can be found on NTSB Newsroom’s account on X, formerly known as Twitter, @NTSB_Newsroom.