- An NTSB investigator was scheduled to examine the scene Monday evening, November 9.
- The aircraft was to be recovered for examination at a secure facility.
- An autopsy was scheduled for Monday afternoon.
The Graves County Sheriff’s Office identified the pilot killed in a Kentucky jet crash as James Alan Michaels, 70, of Dousman, Wisconsin. The identification came November 9, a day after the crash near Mayfield Graves County Airport.
The aircraft was an L-39 Albatros. Emergency calls reporting a downed plane came in at approximately 2:08 p.m. Sunday, November 8, 2026. That call time does not establish precisely when the jet went down.
Responders found the wreckage in a field off Spence Chapel Road, engulfed in flames. Michaels was the only person aboard and was pronounced dead at the scene.
The crash followed a refueling stop. Michaels and his daughter, both from Wisconsin, were flying separate jets back from an air show in Mississippi. After takeoff, he radioed that he was having an issue and intended to return to the airport.
The sheriff’s office described the radio call this way:
“After take off, the pilot radioed that he was returning to the airport and was experiencing some issue.”
His daughter’s aircraft was separate from the jet that crashed. She landed safely at Mayfield Graves County Airport after the incident.
A second L-39 returned safely to the airport
The aircraft went down shortly after Michaels’ radio call, the sheriff’s office said. The reported issue does not establish what caused the crash.
The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating. Neither agency has established a cause in the information provided by officials.
Investigators have not established what caused the crash
An NTSB investigator was scheduled to begin documenting and examining the scene Monday evening, November 9. The wreckage was also to be recovered and taken to a secure facility for further examination. Those steps were planned, not reported as completed.
An autopsy was scheduled for Monday afternoon. The sheriff’s office identified Michaels on November 9.
The crash site remains closed to the public
Authorities have cordoned off the area, and the public is not allowed inside. Anyone with information about the crash is asked to contact the FAA or NTSB.
