A tragic plane crash in Texas has claimed the life of a young pilot.
Logan James, hailing from Stokesdale, North Carolina, was piloting a Cessna 172 Skyhawk when the unfortunate incident occurred.
A tragic plane crash in Texas has claimed the life of a young pilot.
Logan James, hailing from Stokesdale, North Carolina, was piloting a Cessna 172 Skyhawk when the unfortunate incident occurred.
James, who was 23 years old, took off from the ATP Flight School at Addison Airport on Wednesday (January 24), heading towards East Texas.
During the flight, Logan, a holder of a private pilot certification, reportedly did not heed the instructions of air traffic controllers.
Authorities have reported that James initially flew eastward, then turned north towards the Texas-Oklahoma border.
Tragically, the aircraft crashed into a field near Telephone, Texas, and James was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident.
After the crash, ATP Flight School released a statement confirming that the aircraft was from its training center in Addison, TX.
According to CBS News, the statement began, "On Wednesday, January 24, an ATP Cessna 172 from the Addison, TX, training center was involved in a fatal accident near Hugo, OK, northwest of Paris, TX."
The school's statement further detailed,
"A private pilot certificated ATP student was the only aircraft occupant. The accident occurred in a remote area, and there were no injuries to anyone on the ground."
"ATP is fully cooperating with local emergency response, FAA, and NTSB authorities. More details will become available through the course of the investigation."
Expressing condolences, the statement added:
"Our thoughts and prayers are with the pilot's family, loved ones, friends and colleagues."
In the wake of James' death, audio recordings of his final words have been made public.
The audio, shared by ATC Live, captures James saying:
"I'm climbing up through a few clouds and then just gonna head outside of everything and, about right now, you'll probably realize that I'm not gonna listen to ya'll's instructions and I'm just heading to East Texas."
Continuing in the recording, James added:
"I'm gonna pull the Comm 1 circuit breaker and the Comm 2 circuit breaker right here soon as I unkey the mic."
His message ended abruptly at that point.
Air traffic controllers, seeking clarification, asked him to repeat his statement but received no further communication.
They attempted to reach him for an additional 10 minutes but to no avail.
As reported by Mail Online, the Texas Department of Public Safety indicated that James was authorized to use the aircraft for a practice flight maneuver.
However, the Addison Police Department is investigating the possibility of the plane being stolen.
The exact cause of the crash remains uncertain, with the National Transportation Safety Board and the FAA currently conducting investigations.
Following the tragic incident, James' father remembered him as 'a wonderful son, with a gentle and loving spirit.'