The victims of the crash of a small plane in Nashville earlier this week have been identified as the five members of a family from Ontario, who were taking advantage of the day Monday to visit the skies of several American states.
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“These beautiful children lit up our hallways every day. Words cannot express the deep sadness and grief we are experiencing as we mourn the loss of the Dotsenko family,” the private school the three children attended, UMCA Rich Tree Academy, reacted on its social networks on Wednesday, according to City News Toronto.
Late Monday afternoon, Victor Dotsenko, 43, was piloting a small plane in Nashville, Tennessee, in which his wife Rimma and their three children, Emma, Adam and David, were seated, when he was allegedly forced to emergency landing near a highway.
The man who obtained his private pilot’s license at the Brampton Flight Center in 2022 took advantage of Monday to make a few stops in several American cities, including Erie, Pennsylvania and Mount Sterling, Kentucky, before experiencing some difficulties in Nashville.
In a recording of radio transmissions, the father then informed air traffic controllers that his engine had just stopped, after asking permission to land urgently at John C. Tune airport, according to the English-speaking media.
“I’m at 1,600 (feet). I’m going to land. I do not know where. I’m too far away, I won’t make it,” the pilot reportedly said shortly before the accident.
Unfortunately, the shock would have been fatal for the five family members, all of whom would have succumbed to the plane crash, leaving the grieving King Township community behind.
“This is a heartbreaking and devastating loss for our close-knit community. While awaiting further details on the ongoing investigation, our thoughts and prayers are with the victims’ loved ones during this incredibly difficult time,” lamented the city’s mayor, Steve Pellegrini, in a press release.
