Overview
- The mid-size jet, registered XA-JMR, crashed around 5 p.m. in a wooded area near Clark and Peacock roads in Bath Township, prompting heavy smoke and nearby road closures.
- FAA personnel arrived Thursday night, and the NTSB said Friday it has opened a formal investigation into the accident.
- ADS-B data show the aircraft departed Battle Creek, climbed to roughly 15,000 feet, then entered a rapid descent that ended within about a minute.
- LiveATC recordings captured a pilot saying "stall recovery" before air traffic control lost contact despite repeated calls.
- Battle Creek’s aviation director and Duncan Aviation said the jet had been in maintenance there and that two customer pilots and a maintenance representative were aboard; authorities have not released the victims’ identities.