HOLLY SPRINGS, Miss. — Mississippi authorities have identified a flight instructor and a teenage student as the two victims killed in a small plane crash near the Holly Springs–Marshall County Airport. The cause of the crash has not yet been determined.
Wesley Bolden, 29, of Marshall County, and Jordan Hall, 17, of Olive Branch, Mississippi, were identified as the victims, according to a release from the Marshall County Sheriff’s Office.
The two were killed when their small aircraft crashed around 5 p.m. Sunday in a wooded area east of the Holly Springs–Marshall County Airport, located at 171 A.Q. Greer Road, WREG reported.
Marshall County Sheriff Kenny Dickerson said Bolden was a flight instructor at the airport and was well known and respected in the community.
The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration were expected to arrive at the crash site Monday afternoon to begin investigating what caused the plane to go down.
Authorities said it is not yet known whether the aircraft was attempting to land when it crashed at the south end of the airport, east of the runway.
Sheriff Dickerson said the plane appeared to have struck a large pine tree and was destroyed on impact. The aircraft was on fire when emergency crews arrived Sunday night.
Olive Branch Mayor Ken Adams released a statement offering condolences to the family of Jordan Hall, saying the loss of a young life was heartbreaking and felt throughout the community.
The main runway at the Holly Springs–Marshall County Airport is approximately 3,200 feet long. The airport does not have a control tower, with takeoff and landing coordination typically handled through the Memphis air traffic control center.
Federal Aviation Administration records show the aircraft was registered to Firecrest LLC, a flight training company based in Holly Springs. Information from the company’s website indicates Bolden was the founder and flight instructor.
Bolden was a member of the Marshall Academy Class of 2017 and previously served as an assistant football coach, the school said in a tribute. He was engaged to Erica Keller, and the couple shared a young daughter.
In a statement, Marshall Academy said Bolden’s loss would be deeply felt by all who knew him and asked the community to keep his family in prayer.
Authorities have not yet said who was piloting the aircraft at the time of the crash as investigators continue working to determine what led to the tragedy.
