Marijuana-laden airplane crashes
By: WALTER WEBB, Editor
Two men were killed when their small airplane crashed near the Holly Springs-Marshall County Airport late Friday night
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When emergency crews reached the aircraft Saturday morning, 175 pounds of marijuana and approximately $1,100 in cash were found in the cargo area.Marshall County Sheriff Kenny Dickerson said his office was contacted Saturday morning by the Civil Air Patrol that an emergency locater signal was being picked up near the local airport.
After an intensive search of the area, a red and white Cessna 150 airplane was found just south of the south runway at around 7:40 a.m., Sheriff Dickerson said.
From the appearance of the wreckage, the airplane apparently took a nose dive to the ground. Trapped in the airplane was the pilot and owner of the plane, David Shannon Rainwater, 27, of Knifley, Ky.
Paul Chandler, 22, of Houston, Tex., a passenger in the airplane, was thrown from the wreckage.Sheriff's Department deputies found approximately 73 pounds of marijuana wrapped in three to four pound plastic bags in nylon duffel bags in the plane.
Sheriff Dickerson said the preliminary findings of the Federal Aviation Administration indicated that a propeller failure may have caused the crash.
Investigators still do not know if the airplane was attempting to land at the airport or if they were taking off. The airplane wreckage was removed to a hangar at the airport by the FAA for investigation.
Participating in the search and investigation were the National Transportation and Safety Bureau, the Bureau of Narcotics, the DEA, Holly Springs Rescue, the FFA and the Marshall County Sheriff's Department.