A YOUTUBE star and his father died in a plane crash, weeks after a near-fatal “malfunction” at 4,000 feet.
Jenny Blalock, 45, and dad James, 78, went down over Tennessee on Thursday, crashing into a remote area that rescue services struggled to access.
Both men were killed when Jenny’s Beechcraft 35 crashed into the ground near Pulaski around 11:15 a. m.
Their bodies were discovered next to the single-engine plane near the Alabama border.
“It was just devastating,” Bill Myers, director of the Giles County Office of Emergency Management, told 10 News. “Unfortunately, there were simply no survivors. “
Knowledge of the flight suggests that the father-daughter duo was flying 180 miles from Knoxville when their plane crashed to the ground, just 16 miles from the nearest landing airport.
The cause of the twist of fate is still under investigation.
One resident described the horrific scenes to WSMV, saying, “My wife saw the plane approach and crash into the hill. “
After running to the site to see if he could help, Richy Sands recalled: “Just plane all over the place. Just total destruction.”
“I hate to see my life lost in something like this,” he added.
The tragedy came just days after Jenny, known online as TNFlyGirl, shared a video of her thankfully flying with her father.
Just a month ago, Jenny posted a video of herself having to make an emergency landing due to a “plane malfunction” at 4,000 feet.
“Are we going to make it?” he coldly asked his flight instructor after they noticed that the plane’s battery had died mid-flight.
The budding aviation influencer managed to calm down and land the plane perfectly.
“This has happened to me before,” he later told his 16,000 followers.
“We had to shorten this due to issues with the alternator and battery, as you can see in the video. Later, in order to locate it, there were loose screws in the regulator. “
Jenny has filmed her aerial tours with her father, what she called her “airplane trip,” since joining YouTube in 2021.
Her devastated partner Brett Thees wrote on Facebook: “Jenny and her dad were not just daughter/father, they were best friends and did EVERYTHING together!”
The Blalock family said in a statement:
The Blalock family said in a statement: “We would like to thank the network for their outpouring of love and support for our family for this unimaginable loss of two valued family members, Jenny and Jim (Buck) Blalock.
“Our family takes so comfort knowing they were together when they met our Lord and Savior!
“Right now, we’re still trying to cope with this huge loss. We ask you to pray for our circle of family members in the days and months ahead. “
The author’s social media fans flooded her YouTube channel with their own tributes.
One wrote: “Sad to hear about this, she was a very good pilot…..rest in peace, blue skies and tailwinds.”
Another said: “Sorry to your family for their loss. RIP to you and your dad, you guys were doing what you love together.”
A third added: “So sad to hear this horrible news. I became a private pilot back in 94 and always loved flying, but it’s so unforgiving if something goes wrong. R.I.P. to you both.”
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