Officials identify 3 people killed in East TN plane crash
Kim Smith, 42; David Starling 41 and Hunter Starling, 8, were the three occupants on the plane, according to the National Park Service.
GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK - UPDATE, WEDNESDAY 6:15 p.m.: A rescue team has recovered the bodies of three victims who died in a single engine plane crash in Great Smoky Mountain National Park.
Park officials said the park's technical rescue team along with a Tennessee Army National Guard helicopter extricated the bodies from the wreckage of the Cessna 182 around 5 p.m. Wednesday.
The identities of the three people have not been officially confirmed. The three occupants of the plane had earlier been identified as 41-year-old David Starling, his 8-year-old son Hunter Starling and 42-year-old Kim Smith, from the Jacksonville, Fla., area.
UPDATE, WEDNESDAY 4:45 p.m.: A team of rangers from the National Park Service and Tennessee State Parks set off early in the morning to hike off trail through the Smokies to the plane crash site.
The steep climb to the remote area where the plane went down made for a difficult hike.
t's not easy going. With a crew of nine people it will definitely be difficult for them to make it through those dense areas," said GSMNP spokesperson Jamie Sanders.
The rangers hiked for more than three hours along Bearpen Hollow Branch to reach the crash site. Once there, they used ropes to secure the plane to prevent it from rolling further down the mountain.
The plan, officials said, is to hoist the victims out with a helicopter.
"We feel that our rescuers are going to have to be roped up to go down and assist the National Guard in hoisting the individuals back up," said GSMNP Chief Ranger Steve Kloster.
The crew will also document the crash scene. Since it's so difficult to reach, NTSB investigators may rely on their observations to determine the cause of the crash.