A small vintage airplane crashed in west Texas, killing a local firefighter and his parents, officials said Monday.
Jake Jenkins, 40, a Lubbock, Texas firefighter, was piloting the single-engine 1946 Stinson 108 (N97383) with his parents Kirby Dan Jenkins, 71, and Dorothy Jenkins, 68, both of Rockdale, Texas, on board before the aircraft crashed around 70 miles east of Lubbock, Texas.
Texas Department of Public Safety officials identified the fatal victims after a local landowner reported the a plane crash at round 1 p.m. local time on Sunday after discovering the smokey wreckage. However, following initial investigations, officials believe the crash occurred at around 6 a.m. local time, just 30 minutes after the aircraft had taken off and headed toward Rockdale.
The reason of the accident remains unclear and National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration investigations could take months before details are revealed. Nonetheless, investigations are reviewing whether the low clouds and foggy Sunday morning played a factor in the plane crash.
Jake Jenkins was also known for playing the banjo with the bluegrass group ‘Karl Shiflett and Big Country Show’ from 1993 to 2003.
