NTSB Releases Preliminary Report on Fatal Tennessee Crash

Aircraft’s owner was killed and a passenger seriously injured.

Zach Vasile

Friday, July 04, 2025 at 09:00 AM ET

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Edited By:

Ryan Ewing

NTSB logo and image [Credit: Shutterstock]

Key Takeaways:

A small plane crash in Dunlap, Tennessee, on June 24 killed owner Wendall Trimble and seriously injured passenger Ashish Sircar, who was undergoing flight training.
The NTSB's preliminary report indicates damage to the aircraft's left wing consistent with striking trees, and the injured passenger has no memory of the flight or accident.
Investigators found no mechanical malfunctions or engine failures that would have precluded normal operation, and the NTSB investigation is ongoing.

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A preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is shedding light on a small airplane crash in Tennessee in June that killed one person and badly injured another.

The aircraft, a Piper J3C-65, crashed near a private airstrip in Dunlap on the afternoon of June 24. According to WTVC-TV in Chattanooga, local police identified the occupants as owner Wendall Trimble, 79, of Dunlap, and Ashish Sircar, 55, of Florida. Trimble was killed while Sircar suffered serious injuries.