MERCER, Tenn. — UPDATE 7/3/2021 - The National Transportation Safety Board released its preliminary investigation into the plane crash that killed Memphis philanthropist George Cates last month.
The report details the final minutes of the flight and cates' attempt to land the plane in a field.
According to the report, shortly after takeoff, the aircraft began to lose altitude. Cates told air traffic control he was not declaring an emergency at the time and requested to divert to an airport in Jackson, Tennessee.
On the way to Jackson, the aircraft continued losing altitude. When the plane was just over 700 feet in the air, Cates told the controller he was trying to land in a field.
The wreckage was located on the edge of a tree line about 10 miles southwest of Jackson.
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6/22/2021 - Officials say a Memphis businessman died when his single-engine plane crashed about 10 miles from an airport.
Officials say the plane went down Monday in Mercer, about 75 miles northeast of Memphis.
The Madison County fire chief says the pilot had radioed a local airport and was experiencing trouble before losing contact.
The pilot was identified as George Cates of Memphis by Steve Barlow, who's the president and co-founder of an organization Cates chaired.
Barlow says he received the news from Cates' brother. Cates is the former chairman and CEO of Mid-America Apartment Communities Inc.
Congressman Steve Cohen says Cates was a leader and an advocate for his community.