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Air Traffic Control audio shows lead-up to deadly plane crash in Bath Township

Smoke after plane crash in Bath Township
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BATH TOWNSHIP, Mich — We've learned new details about the plane that crashed in Bath Township Thursday evening.

  • Three people were killed when a plane crashed in Bath Township Thursday evening.
  • The aircraft had just undergone maintenance and was on a test flight from Battle Creek.
  • Air traffic control recordings captured the final moments before the crash.

Bath Township police confirmed that three people died in the crash and are now working with the FAA to investigate.

WATCH: Air Traffic Control audio shows lead-up to deadly plane crash in Bath Township

Air Traffic Control audio shows lead-up to deadly plane crash in Bath Township

Video provided by neighbors shows the aftermath of the deadly plane crash in Bath Township Thursday evening.

According to the aviation director at Kellogg Field in Calhoun County, the plane originally took off from Battle Creek. The aircraft had undergone maintenance and crashed during a test flight following the repairs.

A spokesperson for Duncan Aviation said the plane crashed during what's called a "stall flight" that took place following maintenance at their facility in Battle Creek.

"Something bad really happened. That's bad," neighbor Leonard Tolliver said in reaction to the cloud of smoke following the crash.

In a recording of the air traffic control audio, you can hear the pilots request air space, and a short time later, the pilots can be heard talking frantically. Air traffic control tries to reach them.

"Air traffic, Juliett Mike Romeo, Cleveland Center, say altitude," controllers can be heard saying in the recording.

But there was no response. Air traffic control then asked a nearby pilot to see if they spotted anything on the ground after losing the plane on the radar.

"Yeah, we got burning smoke almost at our 1 o'clock," the pilot responded.

According to flight-tracking data from the website Flightradar24.com, the plane was last recorded at 2,300 feet before disappearing from radar.

While we don't know the identities of the three killed in the crash, the Duncan Aviation spokesperson said that two customer pilots and their maintenance representative were on board.

We'll continue to follow this investigation and bring you the latest updates.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

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