UPDATE:
The pilot of an L39 Albatros jet that crashed Sunday afternoon in Graves County has been identified.

According to the Graves County Sheriff’s Office, 70-year-old James Alan Michaels, of Dousman, Wisconsin, had just taken off from the Mayfield-Graves County Airport, when he reported a problem and attempted to return to the airport.

The jet crashed into a field off Spence Chapel Road, near KY 131 and I-69. Emergency responders found the plane engulfed in flames. 

An autopsy was scheduled for Monday afternoon.

Michaels’ daughter, 35-year-old Tonie Michaels, was flying another jet, and returned safely to the airport. She was later flown back to Wisconsin by an acquaintance.

The FAA and NTSB will investigate the incident, and the sheriff’s office requests everyone to stay away from the crash site.

ORIGINAL STORY:
A jet crash near the Mayfield-Graves County airport Sunday just after 2:00 pm claimed the life of the pilot.

According to the Graves County Sheriff’s Office, 911 calls were received at 2:08 pm for a plane down in a field off Spence Chapel Road, near KY 131 and I-69.

The Sheriff’s Office says emergency responders located the plane in the field, engulfed in flames. The pilot reportedly died in the crash.

Reports say the plane was an L-39 Albatros, which is an older military style jet. The pilot and his daughter, both from Wisconsin, were flying separate L-39 Albatros jets, and were returning from an air show in Mississippi when they landed at the Mayfield-Graves County Airport to refuel. 

After taking off, the pilot reported a problem and was attempting to return to the airport, when the jet went down in the field.

The jet flown by the daughter reportedly returned safely to the airport.

PHOTO: Graves County Sheriff’s Office