2020 inductee Brett James gives an interview during the 50th/51st Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame Gala at Music City Center in Nashville, Tennessee, on Nov. 1, 2021.
Brett James sings onstage during a live broadcast at Analog in Nashville, Tennessee, on March 8, 2025.

New details have emerged in the death of country singer-songwriter Brett James, who died in a small-engine plane crash in Franklin, North Carolina, along with his wife and stepdaughter.

A report from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) reveals the Sept. 18 crash was captured on surveillance cameras. James was piloting the Cirrus SR22T and requested a visual approach to land at Macon County Airport.

According to NTSB's preliminary report, while attempting to make a full turn, James appeared to lose control of the aircraft and the plane spiraled out of the air not far from the airport runway.

James, a 57-year-old Columbia, Missouri, native and a Grammy Award-winning songwriter, was known for cowriting Carrie Underwood's "Jesus, Take the Wheel," as well as many other country hits.

James' wife Melody Carole, 59, was a writer and mother of two. Meryl Wilson was her 28-year-old daughter.

What happened in the Brett James plane crash?

James and his family members had flown from John C. Tune Airport in Nashville, Tennessee, departing at about 12:41 p.m., flight records confirmed. About two hours later, the plane was at 6,800 feet and approaching the turn to land.

Per the NTSB report, air traffic controllers received no transmissions from James after learning his intent to perform a 360-degree turn.

Surveillance cameras showed that as James' plane turned left, it went into a spiral and crashed into the ground.

"Multiple witnesses near the accident site reported observing the airplane flying at a low altitude near the airport and over a nearby school playground," the report states. "The airplane was described as rocking side-to-side, with its wingtips moving up and down before rolling inverted and descending behind the tree line."

The plane crashed into an open field west of Iotla Valley Elementary School and about a quarter-mile from the airport. There were no signs of engine failure, according to NTSB. The aircraft was subsequently "recovered and retained for further examination."

Who was Brett James?

James was a prolific Nashville songwriter, a Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee and Grammy winner.

He had worked with Carrie Underwood, Kenny Chesney, Taylor Swift, Jason Aldean and Martina McBride.

After the news of James' death, Underwood spoke out on social media. "Some things are just unfathomable. The loss of Brett James to his family, friends and our music community is too great to put into words," Underwood wrote on Instagram. "Brett was the epitome of 'cool.'"

"I see him in my mind riding up to my cabins to write on his motorcycle…his hair somehow perfectly coiffed despite being under a helmet for however long," she continued. "I always loved hearing him sing 'Cowboy Casanova' because a sassy girl anthem should've sounded ridiculous coming from a macho dude like him, but somehow, he even made that cool."

"Brett's passing is leaving a hole in all of us that I fear won’t ever go away," Underwood concluded. "It will forever be a reminder that this life is but a moment...we have to make the most of each day we're given here on earth. Each day is a gift. ... Love you, man. I'll see you again someday."

This story was updated to correct a typo.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Songwriter Brett James seemingly lost control of plane in fatal crash, new report reveals

Reporting by Audrey Gibbs, Nashville Tennessean / Nashville Tennessean

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