Father, 2 siblings set to graduate from college killed after small plane crashes in Tennessee

Three people have died after a small plane appears to have broken up in-flight before crashing in Tennessee, authorities said.

The victims were a Louisiana doctor and his two children, who were set to graduate from college this week, colleagues and school officials confirmed.

The aircraft -- a 1966 Beech V35 -- crashed near Franklin around noon Wednesday, according to the National Transportation Safety Board, which is investigating the incident.

Witnesses reported seeing both wings go backward and the plane "going violently out of control" before the crash, NTSB aviation accident investigator Aaron McCarter told reporters during a press briefing on Thursday.

Registration records show the plane was owned by Dr. Lucius Doucet III of Baton Rouge, a plastic surgeon who was identified as a victim of the crash by his employer, Williamson Cosmetic Team. The surgery center remembered him as an "exceptional surgeon" and "compassionate man who touched the lives of countless individuals" in a statement.

His biography on the practice's website said he had three children and that aviation was his "favorite hobby."

Two of his children -- Giselle and Jean-Luc Doucet, seniors at Lousiana State University in Baton Rouge -- were also killed in the plane crash, the school confirmed. The siblings were set to graduate on Friday.

"This is heartbreaking for the LSU community, but especially for those who know and love these two students, and those who were expecting to share graduation with them," LSU said in a statement, adding that both students will be honored at their respective commencement ceremonies.

The plane had left Gonzales, Louisiana, Wednesday morning and was en route to Louisville, Kentucky, when it crashed in an area about 40 miles southwest of Nashville, authorities said.

A 911 caller reported an explosion that was believed to have been a possible plane crash, authorities said.

The debris field is quite large -- over a half-mile radius -- which is "very indicative of an in-flight break-up," McCarter said.

It is unclear what caused the crash but it "does appear that the plane did break up in the air," Chief Deputy Mark Elrod with the Williamson County Sheriff's Office also said during a press briefing Wednesday evening.

"This is a tragic scene," Elrod said.

There was no damage to any structures but people reported plane debris on their property, including yards and driveways, Elrod said.

McCarter said investigators have recovered approximately 75% of the wreckage, including the tail, both wings and a majority of the fuselage, and are looking to recover all of it.

"Having all those parts in the immediate vicinity of the wreckage is gonna yield a lot of clues as to what happened," he said.

An NTSB team of 15 to 20 people will be on the scene over the next day or so to recover the debris. Investigators will then attempt to reconstruct the plane to determine how it came apart, McCarter said.

He added that weather, which included heavy rain showers near the time of the incident, may have played a factor in the accident.

NTSB is seeking to speak with any witnesses or those with doorbell cameras or vehicle cameras that captured the incident.

A preliminary report on the crash is expected in 10 days from when they the scene, McCarter said.

Editor's note: This story has been updated to correct Chief Deputy Mark Elrod's title.