Park rangers in Gatlinburg are looking for a plane that is believed to have crashed the night of December 26th somewhere in the area of the Great Smoking Mountain National Park.
In a press release issued by law enforcement officials, they received a call around 7:35 that night, that a single engine aircraft carrying three passengers had gone down somewhere in the middle of the park. It was stated that the plane had been lost somewhere south of the Gatlinburg–Pigeon Forge Airport.
Kathleen Bergen, a Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman, told local news reporters that law enforcement officials are looking for Cessna 182 aircraft with search parties putting extra emphasis on the region 15 miles southeast of the Gatlinburg–Pigeon Forge Airport.
Bergen said that there were three passengers on-board the aircraft the evening it went missing, but did not have exact information as to where the plane is or what went wrong. The search was triggered by an FAA alert that advised local public safety agencies.
As of now, park rangers and civil air support are working to locate the plane, but no other information about the search has been released.
That night, the plan was flying out of Jacksonville, Florida and was on its way to Gatlinburg–Pigeon Forge Airport when the flight went missing. Officials plan to continue to search until the plane is located.
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