Two perish in plane accident late Sunday

A pilot and student died in an airplane accident at the Holly Springs - Marshall County airport Sunday afternoon, according to sheriff Kenny Dicker

The two men were flying in a single engine plane when one of the wings clipped a very tall pine tree, fell to the ground, became engulfed in flames and burned seconds after it fell, Dickerson said.

Officials with the Federal Aviation Administration and Transportation Safety Board were due around noon Monday to investigate the cause of the accident, he said.

“This is something that doesn’t happen very often in Marshall County,” Dickerson said. “This is devastating to everyone. The pilot was a local person from a good family.”

Wesley Bolden, 28, of Marshall County, and Jordan Hall, 17, of Olive Branch were the occupants.

The crash took place shortly before dusk around 5 p.m. Sunday. Dickerson said Hall was believed to be a student taking flying lessons from Bolden.

Dickerson said operating an aircraft requires extreme care by protocol just as operating a vehicle does.

“This is tragic, but unfortunately it won’t be the last,” the sheriff said. “We extend sympathy to members of the families.

Dickerson said the crash happened about 300 feet in a wooded area to the east of the south end of the runway near Bicycle Road.

He, deputies and medical personnel and fire came to the airport runway’s south end to see bright flames and a tremendous amount of smoke coming from the plane that had crashed moments earlier.

“The vast majority of the plane burned with only a portion of a wing and bits of the fuselage and wiring remaining.

The remains of the occupants were removed by fire department personnel, the sheriff’s team and Marshall County coroner James Richard Anderson.

Dickerson said the cause of the plane striking the pine tree may never be known.

“Once it hit the pine, it fell immediately on impact and caught fire,” he said.

Dickerson said Hall’s mother Jacinta Hall, is a prominent, highly respected attorney in Olive Branch, liked by all. His mother said Jordan was a student, eager to learn and to advance his education and has been taking flying lessons for several months.

The board of supervisors dedicated the January 20 meeting to Wesley Bolden and Jordan Hall.