BLOUNT COUNTY, Tenn. — The Blount County Sheriff's Office said one person had minor injuries and another was uninjured after a small plane crashed in the Chilhowee Mountains in Walland, east of Maryville.
Deputies responded to 3231 Ellejoy Road around 8:17 p.m. on Sunday, May 30 after reports of a crash, according to an incident report from BCSO.
When they arrived, deputies spoke to a man who told them the property they were on was owned by the University of Tennessee. However, several people live on the property and two people were found there after the crash, the report said.
Those two people were 78-year-old Wayne Lequire and 66-year-old Pamela Kagley. Lequire was covered in blood and had a large cut from his nose when he was located by deputies, according to the report.
Lequire said Kagley was a friend of his who flies with him regularly. Initially, the BCSO had incorrectly said Kagley was his wife.
Lequire told deputies he had to make a forced landing in his Aeronca two-seater plane. According to Lequire, the plane began to lose power while flying over Walland Gap.
According to the report, Lequire said he intended to land in the field located at the UT Farms but was unable to do so. Lequire was able to land the aircraft in the Chilhowee Mountains at a speed of around 30 mph. Lequire and Kagley both said they hit the ground so hard that their seats broke.
Lequire told deputies he believes that when his seat broke it sent him into the windshield and cut his nose.
Lequire said he and Kagley had been walking for close to three hours before being found, which means the crash happened roughly around 5 p.m., the incident report said.
The report said AMR was called to the location, and Lequire was transported to Blount Memorial Hospital to be treated.
The exact location of the aircraft remains unknown. Lequire told deputies that it is "somewhere on the end of UT's property." He also told deputies it would have to be taken apart to be removed from the location that it's in
The Federal Aviation Administration was made aware of the crash and is currently investigating it.