New Details Released One Month After Country Songwriter Brett James’ Fatal Plane Crash
on Oct 17, 2025
Preliminary Report Released About Plane Crash That Claimed The Lives Of “Jesus, Take The Wheel” Songwriter Brett James, His Wife, & Stepdaughter
Brett James, an accomplished songwriter behind a long list of country music’s biggest hits, died in a plane crash on September 18. He was 57 years old.
The crash also claimed the lives of Brett’s wife, Melody Carole, and his stepdaughter, Meryl Maxwell Wilson.
The Cirrus SR22T aircraft registered to Brett left John C. Tune Airport in Nashville, Tennessee, at 12:41 PM local time on September 18. The plane was traveling to the Macon County Airport in Franklin, North Carolina.
Early reports indicated that the plane crashed near Iotla Valley Elementary School in Franklin. The school sits next to the airport, so it appeared the crash occurred when the aircraft approached for landing.
A complete preliminary crash report was expected within 30 days of the accident. That report has now been released.
FOX Carolina shared a copy of the report and outlined some of the new details it contains.
According to officials cited in the report, the pilot of the Cirrus SR22T told air traffic control at the Macon County Airport he was going to execute a 360° turn before landing. After this communication, air traffic control lost contact with the plane.
The report also states that surveillance video captured the plane traveling over the runway before it went into a descending left turn. It continued descending in that turn before entering what FOX Carolina described as “a tightening spiral” and crashing.
Witnesses cited in the report stated they saw the plane flying at a low altitude near the airport. They said it appeared to be rocking from side to side before inverting and descending.
Country Artists Remember Brett James In Heartfelt Tributes
Brett James was one of Nashville’s most sought-after songwriters. He had a hand in writing some of the biggest hits released in the past few decades, including the following:
- “Jesus, Take the Wheel” by Carrie Underwood
- “Something in the Water” by Carrie Underwood
- “The Man I Want to Be” by Chris Young
- “Blessed” by Martina McBride
- “I Hold On” by Dierks Bentley
- “When the Sun Goes Down” by Kenny Chesney and Uncle Kracker
- “Knowing You” by Kenny Chesney
Several of Brett’s famous friends honored him in tributes after his tragic death. Longtime pal Kenny Chesney said:
“It’s hard to process his creative soul being gone. This kind of loss. I feel as if part of my creative soul went with him. It will be a void in my life and creativity forever.”
Carrie Underwood, who recorded many of Brett’s songs, said:
“My favorite songs to sing of ours are the ones that he or we wrote about Jesus because the thoughts and feelings behind them are so genuine and pure. I won’t ever sing one note of them again without thinking of him.”
In the final interview he gave before his death, Brett spoke about the friendships he’d made working in Nashville and how much they meant to him. He said:
“I always say that my favorite thing about being a songwriter in Nashville for thirty-plus years is the friendships you make.”
May Brett James, Melody Carole, and Meryl Maxwell Wilson rest in peace…
