The Windsor Flying Club is mourning one of its members.
A pilot died early Tuesday morning after his Windsor-registered plane crashed at Nashville International Airport, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.
David Gillies, president of the Windsor Flying Club, says the plane was rented by a member of the flying club Monday night.
"Our focus at this point is we have lost a fellow flyer, one of our brothers," says Gillies.
Officials with the NTSB say the plane likely crashed sometime overnight, possibly around 3 a.m. or later. It was discovered hours later by a crew taxiing in another plane, around 8:45 a.m. Tuesday morning.
“We understand it was scheduled to arrive at the Pelee Island airport in Ontario Canada,” says NTSB Spokesperson Jay Neylon.
Pelee Island airport officials could not confirm or deny that the plane landed there.
The plane involved was a single-engine Cessna 172 registered in Canada under the ID C-GRJH. NTSB investigators are collecting details about the condition of the plane, pilot and weather.
“We are in the preliminary stages of the investigation,” says Neylon. “We understand there was dense fog.”
Gillies says he was a qualified pilot.
“He had his wings since 1989,” says Gillies. “He had a night rating he was in his mid-40's and well, he had been around. He had done quite a bit of flying."
Investigators were at the crash site in Nashville on Wednesday.
“We’ll be spending the entire day collecting any perishable evidence,” says Neylon. “Anything that might help with determining the cause of the accident.”
A preliminary report from the NTSB is expected in 10 days. It could take six months to a year for the full report.
"Within six to nine months, we will release a factual report and that's all the facts we've collected during the investigation," says Neylon.
The Windsor Flying Club has confirmed to CTV News that 45 year old Michael Callan was the pilot who died Tuesday night after his plane crashed in Nashville.
