Three killed in Union County crash of business jet

The Union County crash of an older model business jet airplane killed three people late Saturday afternoon.

Dead in the Union County crash were Tommy and Merline Nix, husband and wife, of Belmont, MS and Jarrod Holloway of Booneville.

The crash came about 5 pm Saturday when the business jet disappeared from air traffic control radar. Union County law enforcement officers began searching for the plane in stormy weather Saturday night.  They found the plane and three bodies Sunday, near County Roads 120 and 121 in Union County.

The aircraft was a Rockwell Sabreliner 65. The Sabreliner made its first flight more than 50 years ago, on Sept. 16, 1958. Rockwell manufactured the Sabreliner for both civilian and U. S. military customers. The civilian Sabreliner 65 was configured for five to seven passengers plus crew.

The Sabreliner went through several design changes over the more than 20 years during which Rockwell produced it. Rockwell last produced the Sabreliner 65, the model that crashed in Union County Saturday, in 1981, 38 years ago. Rockwell manufactured 76 of the 65 series jets, most for the civilian market.

Nothing has been officially released about the possible cause of the crash. However, shortly before the plane disappeared from radar, the pilots reported to Memphis Air Traffic Control that they were having electrical problems. Additionally, the crash occurred on a day when there was a lot of turbulent weather in the area.

The crash is under investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).

Crash site investigation and photos: http://newalbanyunionco.com/crash-site-debris-field-investigation/