Three people were injured when after a small plane crashed into a residential neighborhood near downtown Knoxville.
The plane went down Tuesday around 3:15 p.m., coming to rest on a vehicle in a driveway on Groner Drive, just off Riverside Drive, near the Tennessee River. The propellor of the plane went through another car. No one was in either vehicle.
According to Knoxville Fire Department, three men walked away from the crash with sustainable injuries after being taken to UT Medical Center. No one on the ground was hurt.
Neighbors on Groner Drive said they had to act fast once they knew what happened.
"I thought it was a car coming down the street flying," said Dexter Jordan, who lives across the street from where the crash happened. "The next thing I heard was a loud crash. I'm like, that's not a car, so I just ran out. By the time I looked across the street, there was a plane on top of two cars."
Alyssa Cox-Lewis said she was cooking with her mom in the kitchen when they heard the crash.
"We all went out the door," she said. "I had my phone in my hand, and I just saw the car. It looked like the car had crashed into the tree, so I ran over faster than I've ever ran before."
Cox-Lewis said she jumped on top of the plane. She said one man was already out of the plane, but two others were still inside.
She said they helped the two inside get out safely, administered first aid, and secured the scene from any potential dangers before first responders could arrive.
"My stepdad ran and grabbed the hose from the house they crashed on and hosed down the plane so none of the fuel could get out anywhere," Cox-Lewis said. "It kind of just kicks in, I think the instinct to help people."
The scene of the crash is on the other side of the river from Island Home Airport.
There's no word on what may have caused the crash or where it was headed. The names of those on board have not been released.
KFD has responded to about 4 crashes at Island Home in the past 10 years
“Fortunately they’ve all been minor-type injuries that the patients have all been able to walk away from,” said Knoxville Fire Department Capt. D.J. Corcoran.
Corcoran told 10News the plane that crashed was a training plane with Lakelizard Aviation. According to registration information, the plane is a Piper PA-23-250 fixed wing multi-engine aircraft.
Corcoran said there was some fuel leaking from the plane, but they've got it contained and don't believe it poses any fire danger.
Local authorities have secured the scene while they wait for federal investigators to arrive. KPD said FAA officials are on their way to the scene, and are expected to arrive Wednesday.
