Sunday, 21 September 2025

Grammy-winning Nashville songwriter killed in plane crash

A Cirrus SR 22 traveling from Nashville-John C. Tune Airport, TN (KJWN) to Macon County Airport, NC (1A5) has crashed on landing at Macon County Airport. Witnesses stated that the airplane performed a go-around before attempting to land again. It came to rest upright in an open field approximately 500 feet north of the runway. There was no post-crash fire, and the wreckage was intact, with no debris field leading to the main site.

It has been revealed that 57-year-old Grammy-winning Nashville songwriter Brett James, whose music shaped modern country and pop through megastars like Kenny Chesney, Carrie Underwood and Taylor Swift, has died in a small-plane crash in North Carolina. 

According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) via WZTV Nashville, James was one of three people aboard a Cirrus SR22T that crashed near Franklin, North Carolina, on Thursday afternoon, the 18th of September. The other two passengers were his wife and step daughter. 
The plane was registered in James' name and had departed from Nashville earlier in the day. No students or staff were injured at the nearby Iotla Valley Elementary School, authorities confirmed. 

The Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, where James was inducted in 2020, announced his passing, writing on Instagram: 

"We mourn the untimely loss of Hall of Fame member Brett James a 2020 inductee who was killed in a small-engine airplane crash on the 18th of September."

James also wrote or co-wrote Martina McBride’s “Blessed” and “When the Sun Goes Down” by Kenny Chesney. He wrote or co-wrote hundreds of songs recorded by artists across genres - from Carrie Underwood's Grammy-winning ballad "Jesus, Take the Wheel" to Taylor Swift's "A Perfectly Good Heart," to arena anthems for Bon Jovi and crossover hits for Kelly Clarkson, The Fray, and Daughtry.


Aircraft Information:
Owner/Operator: Brett James
Aircraft: Cirrus SR22T GTS 5G
Registration: N218VB
Serial Number: 1378

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends of the deceased during this difficult time. May you find comfort and strength in the love and memories you shared.

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