Country music songwriter Brett James, who won a Grammy Award for “Jesus, Take the Wheel,” was killed in a small-engine airplane crash in North Carolina on Thursday, authorities saidd. He was 57.
James’ death was announced by the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. A plane registered under James’ name -- his full name is Brett James Cornelius -- reportedly crashed into a field in Franklin at about 3 p.m. ET on Thursday, according to a statement from the Federal Aviation Administration and data from FlightAware.
The plane left John C. Tune Airport in Nashville, according to FlightAware.
The plane crashed west of Iotla Valley Elementary School in Franklin and all three people on board were killed, WLOS reported.
The other people on the plane were Melody Carole and Meryl Maxwell Wilson, the North Carolina State Highway Patrol confirmed in a statement.
None of the students or staff at the school were injured.
“A Cirrus SR22T crashed in a field in Franklin, North Carolina, around 3 p.m. local time. Three people were on board,” the FAA said in its statement. “The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board will investigate. The NTSB will be in charge of the investigation and will provide further updates.”
James wrote some of country music’s biggest hits, including “Jesus, Take the Wheel,” which was sung by Carrie Underwood in 2005; and “When the Sun Goes Down,” by Kenny Chesney.
“Jesus, Take the Wheel” won a Grammy for Best Country Song and was also honored as the 2005 ACM Single of the Year, the 2006 ASCAP Country Song of the Year and the 2006 NSAI Song of the Year.
James was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2020.
In 2001, “Who I Am” by Jessica Andrews became Brett’s first No. 1 hit.
The investigation into the airplane crash is ongoing, authorities said. Additional details have not been released.