Ontario couple, three children killed in Nashville plane crash

An Ontario couple and their three children have been identified as the victims of a deadly plane crash in Nashville. 

Nashville police identified the pilot of the single-engine plane as 43-year-old Victor Dotsenko from King Township in a post on X Wednesday night. 

The post on the social media platform, formerly known as Twitter, said Dotsenko’s wife, 39-year-old Rimma, and their three children, 12-year-old David, 10-year-old Adam and seven-year-old Emma, were also killed in the crash.

The mayor of King Township, Steve Pellegrini, expressed condolences to the friends and relatives of the family Wednesday night, calling it a “heartbreaking and devastating loss” for the “tight-knit community.”

A single-engine plane crashed alongside a highway in Nashville on Monday evening, killing all five people aboard.

Investigator Aaron McCarter of the National Transportation Safety Board said the flight originated in Ontario and made stops along the way that were likely to gas up, including Erie, Pa., and Mount Sterling, Ky.

In a recording of radio transmissions, the pilot told air traffic controllers that his engine had shut down, he had overflown John C. Tune airport and had circled around in an attempt to land.

A runway was cleared at the airport, but the pilot said the plane had already descended to 1,600 feet and that he was too far away and wasn’t going to make it.

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada said it had assigned a representative to assist in the crash investigation being led by U.S. authorities.

The plane was based at the Brampton Flight Centre, which is owned and operated by the Brampton Flying Club, said its general manager, Allan Paige. He could not say whether the plane took off from there, however, as the airport is uncontrolled and does not have flight records.

The Canadian Civil Aircraft Register shows the aircraft was registered to a numbered company as of last July. The business is registered to an address in Vaughan, Ont., according to provincial business records.

— with files from The Associated Press

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 6, 2024.

The Canadian Press