8-year-old believed among dead in plane crash over Great Smoky Mountains

A reconnaissance flight by the Tennessee Army National Guard found that missing plane lost late Monday over the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and there were no survivors among those on three people on board.

Passengers on the plane included an 8-year-old boy. Positive identification of the bodies hasn’t yet been done, because the bodies remain unrecovered at the crash site, officials said.

The plane was found in the park at 4:43 p.m. Tuesday, on an unnamed ridge between Cole Creek and Bearpen Hollow Branch. Paramedics on board were hoisted down to the crash site and confirmed that there were no survivors.

Ground teams searched the steep and heavily wooded area on foot Tuesday, but were unable to access some areas due to the rough terrain.

The plane was in route to the Gatlinburg-Pigeon Forge Airport from Florida on Monday, Dec. 26, when it went missing over the park at approximately 4:01 pm. The three occupants were David Starling, 41, Kim Smith, 42, and Hunter Starling, 8, were from Bradford County, FL. The National Transportation Safety Board will be the lead in the investigation of the plane crash.

This story was originally published December 28, 2016 at 9:01 AM with the headline "8-year-old believed among dead in plane crash over Great Smoky Mountains."