Investigators examine wreckage of Brett James' plane which crashed in Macon County, NC on Sept. 18. WYFF Washington —

The plane Grammy-winning songwriter Brett James was piloting entered a “tightening spiral” before it crashed and killed everyone on board last month , according to a preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board.

James, 57, was flying his single engine plane on Sept. 18, when it crashed into a field in Franklin, North Carolina, about 270 miles southeast of Nashville. All three people on board were killed.

James had requested a visual approach to runway 7, which air traffic control approved, according to the report.

Songwriter, Brett James performs onstage during NSAI 2022 Nashville Songwriter Awards on September 20, 2022 in Nashville, Tenness

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