An audio recording of a plane crash in Bath Township, Michigan captured the panicked pilot’s last moments as the aircraft plummeted 12,000 feet in mere seconds.
In the audio obtained from LiveATC.net, the pilot was having a calm conversation with air traffic control and gave a natural sign off before a mechanical issue caused the plane to begin its fatal descent.
“Stall recovery! Stall recovery!” the pilot shouts before his audio cuts out.
Air traffic control attempted to re-establish contact before asking other planes in the area if they can see evidence of a crash.
“Can you look at your one o’clock around 20 miles, we’re looking for an aircraft,” asks the air traffic controller. “Do you see anything out there on the ground? Just asking if you can see anything else like any smoke or anything like that… we lost him.”
The crash occurred around 5 p.m. on Thursday. The Hawker 800XP, a private jet, plummeted 12,000 feet in less than two minutes. An onlooker captured a brief video of the plane crashing to the ground.
Photos of the scene show a billowing cloud of black smoke rising from the wreckage. A picture of the smoke credited to “Betsy Crippen” went viral on social media.
The crash killed all three passengers on board, according to Ryan Fewins-Bliss, Bath Township supervisor. The names of the victims have not been released.
The cause of the crash is unknown, and it is under investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
Speaking to Fox17, Phil Kroll, the aviation director at Kellogg Field, said the plane underwent some maintenance on the ground before the fateful flight.
“They were just testing out some systems and that’s when the problem occurred,” he said.
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