A Mississippi Plane Crash claimed the lives of two people Sunday evening near the Holly Springs-Marshall County Airport, officials said.
The single-engine plane went down around 5 p.m. while attempting to land at the airport. Deputies found the aircraft in a dense wooded area east of the runway, engulfed in flames. Multiple fire departments responded to put out the fire. Both occupants were pronounced dead at the scene. They have been identified as Wesley Bolden and Jordan Hall.
Marshall County Sheriff Kenny Dickerson said the plane appeared to strike a large pine tree before hitting the ground shortly after touchdown. “We have reason to believe no quicker than touchdown that it was impacted and engulfed in flames, unfortunately, burning the two occupants that were in the plane,” he said.
FAA investigators from Jackson, Mississippi, arrived Monday to examine the wreckage. Officials said it may take time to determine the exact cause of the crash.
Bolden was a flight instructor and founder of Firecrest LLC, a flight training company based in Holly Springs. FAA records show the plane was registered to his company. Marshall Academy remembered him as a 2017 alumnus and former assistant football coach, describing him as a skilled aviator and a devoted father and fiancé.
“You couldn’t find better people,” Sheriff Dickerson said of Bolden and his family. “Just top-of-the-line, top-class people.”
The second victim, 17-year-old Jordan Hall from Olive Branch, may have been one of Bolden’s flight students, though authorities have not confirmed this. “I didn’t personally know the young man from Olive Branch, but I’ve heard nothing but good things about him and his family,” Dickerson said.
The investigation into the Mississippi Plane Crash is ongoing, with no further details about the cause released at this time. Officials urge anyone with information about the incident to come forward as FAA investigators continue to examine the scene.