The single-engine fixed-wing plane that crashed south of Nashville in Williamson County was “violently out of control” before the crash, authorities said.
“The wreckage is more than a half-mile radius,” said Aaron McCarter, an investigator with the National Transportation Safety Board, during a news conference at 3 p.m. Thursday. “It was widely dispersed, indicative of an in-flight rupture.”
The plane was registered to Dr. Lucius Doucet III in January, according to records maintained by the Federal Aviation Administration. Doucet was identified as the accident victim by his employer, Williamson Cosmetic Center, a medical spa in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
The other two victims were identified as her two adult children, Giselle and Jean-Luc Doucet, Louisiana State University announced.
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Authorities have not yet publicly identified the victims, but said they are all adults.
Pieces of the plane are scattered across mountainous and flat terrain, in water and on farmland, McCarter said. Between 15 and 20 people are on site collecting parts from the plane to transport them to a secure facility in Springfield, Tennessee.
The crash happened in the area of Bending Chestnut Road and Davis Hollow Road, near Natchez Trace Parkway, about 50 miles southwest of Nashville.
McCarter estimated Thursday that they have collected about 75 percent of the plane.
“We have all four corners. The tail, both wings and most of the fuselage,” McCarter said. He did not yet have an explanation for the mid-air rupture, but said he would look at human, mechanical and environmental elements.
“We have reports of some minor convective activity. If the weather did not cause the accident, it was a major factor,” he said.
The plane did not have a black box, but it did have two data cards, McCarter said, although he is not sure if any information will be recovered from them.
The first 911 call came in at 12:05 p.m., Williamson County EMA spokesperson Jill Burgin said Wednesday. The caller reported hearing a loud sound and seeing debris, she said.
The plane, identified as Beech V35, N47WT, took off from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, at around 8:53 a.m., according to FlightAware, a tracking website. The plane was scheduled to land in Louisville, Kentucky, around 1 p.m.
Dr. Lucius Doucet III and his children
Doucett was a practicing plastic surgeon in Baton Rouge. He graduated from Tulane University School of Medicine in June 1987, a university spokesman said.
He completed a general surgery residency at the University of Texas Health Science Center before being accepted into a plastic and reconstructive surgery fellowship at the University of California-Davis School of Medicine, according to a biography from Williamson Cosmetic Center.
“His love of family, food and music led him back to Louisiana,” according to his biography. “He enjoys spending time with his family and friends when he is not practicing his favorite hobby, aviation.”
According to a post on his Instagram page, Doucet had been a licensed pilot since 2016.
He was the father of three children.
Williamson Cosmetic Center said Doucet’s sudden loss “has left a deep void in our hearts and in our practice,” according to a Facebook post made on Thursday morning.
“Dr. Doucet was not only an exceptional surgeon, but also a compassionate man who touched the lives of countless people in our community,” the center said. “His dedication to his patients was unparalleled, and his kindness and empathy were felt by everyone who had the privilege of knowing him.”
LSU to honor plane crash victims Giselle and Jean-Luc Doucet
Giselle and Jean-Luc Doucet were seniors at Louisiana State University and were scheduled to graduate on Fridaysaid the university.
“We are devastated to hear this news, and our thoughts and prayers are with the entire Doucet family and all those close to them,” the university said. “We will honor both students at their respective graduation ceremonies and will do everything we can to help support those in our community who have been affected by this tragedy.”
This article originally appeared in the Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee plane crash: Dr. Lucius Doucet, LSU students among victims
