Ministers Were Heading To Meeting On New Church

A Beechcraft Bonanza went down in a remote and rugged area of Cherokee National Forest in Tennessee Sunday shortly after takeoff... killing all on board.

According to the Carter County Sheriff's Department, the Bonanza, carrying five Jehovah's Witness ministers, took off from the Elizabethton Municipal Airport and was on the way to Virginia Highlands Airport near Abingdon, VA, when it went down about 10:30 am, reported the Associated Press. The flight reportedly originated in Hamblen County.

The crash site was discovered by a passing aircraft Saturday evening about a mile and a half down the south side of the mountain in a remote area, according to the AP. A subsequent ground search was delayed by nightfall.

Officials haven't said what may have led to the accident. Investigators with the FAA and NTSB were due on scene Monday.

Although the no identities have been released, Robert Burpitt, of the Woodland Heights congregation of Jehovah's Witness in Kingsport, told the AP the ministers were from Chattanooga, Pigeon Forge, Morristown, Elizabethton and Unicoi County and were members of a regional building committee on their way to Abingdon to meet with a congregation in Lebanon, VA, about building a new church.

"If a congregation wants to build a new kingdom hall, these five men would help organize getting the project done," Burpitt said. "All of the congregations in this region are devastated by this news, and will continue to keep the families in their prayers."

FMI: www.faa.gov