Brett James, Grammy-winning songwriter, dies in NC plane crash

Brett James, the Grammy Award winning country songwriter behind hits such as Carrie Underwood’s "Jesus, Take the Wheel" and Kenny Chesney’s "Out Last Night," was killed Thursday afternoon in a small-plane crash in Macon County, North Carolina, officials and flight tracking data showed. The single-engine Cirrus SR22T, registered to James, departed Nashville’s John C. Tune Airport before going down in a field near Iotla Valley Elementary School in the area around 3 p.m., according to FlightAware data and local reports. All three people aboard the aircraft were pronounced dead, authorities said.

Local media reported the crash occurred in a field adjacent to Macon County Airport and that no students or staff at the nearby elementary school were injured. The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the accident, an FAA spokesperson said, and the NTSB will lead the inquiry and provide further updates.

James, 57, was one of Nashville’s most accomplished and in-demand songwriters. He co-wrote Underwood’s "Jesus, Take the Wheel," which won the Grammy Award for Best Country Song and earned multiple industry honors; he also penned...