A single-engine plane carrying Grammy-winning country songwriter Brett James spiraled out of control before crashing while approaching Macon County Airport in Franklin, North Carolina, on Thursday, September 18, 2025, killing everyone on board, according to a preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board.
James, 57, was piloting the private Cirrus SR22T aircraft as it approached Macon County Airport in Franklin, North Carolina, around 3 p.m. with his wife, Melody Carole Wilson, 59, and her daughter, Meryl Maxwell Wilson, 28. The songwriter had requested a visual approach to runway 7 from air traffic control shortly before the crash occurred.
According to the NTSB investigation, James transmitted while still tuned to the controller’s radio frequency that he was at 6,800 feet and intended to land on runway 7. No further communications were received from the pilot after that transmission.
Multiple witnesses near the accident site observed the aircraft flying at a low altitude over the airport and a nearby school playground. The plane was described as rocking side-to-side, with its wingtips moving up and down before rolling inverted and descending behind the tree line. The aircraft was just over half a mile from the runway when it started its turn before entering a tightening spiral and impacting the ground about a quarter-mile from the airfield.
According to the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), ADS-B data showed that as James approached Macon County Airport, the Cirrus SR22T descended from 7,000 feet MSL before performing a 360-degree left turn and overflying the runway at low altitude. The aircraft’s speed and descent rate fluctuated on final approach, registering 113 knots groundspeed with a 1,375-feet-per-minute descent rate about half a mile from the runway, then slowing to 72 knots just before impact. Investigators noted the plane appeared to have entered a shallow climb and veered left moments before the final data point, consistent with a possible go-around attempt.
The plane had departed from John C. Tune Airport in Nashville earlier that day. Flight records indicate the aircraft was registered to Brett Cornelius, James’ legal name. The Macon County Sheriff’s Office confirmed on social media that no students or staff at the nearby Iotla Valley Elementary School were injured in the crash.
Both the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are conducting investigations into the crash. The FAA confirmed there were no survivors.
James was a towering figure in Nashville’s songwriting community, inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2020. He co-wrote Carrie Underwood’s breakthrough hit “Jesus Take the Wheel” with Hillary Lindsay and Gordie Sampson, which became Underwood’s first number one on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart in early 2006, spending six weeks at the top.
The song earned two Grammy Awards, including Best Country Song, which James shared with his co-writers, and was also nominated for Song of the Year. Underwood paid tribute to her collaborator in an emotional Instagram post on Friday, September 19, stating that “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 called James the epitome of cool and shared memories of working alongside the songwriter and record producer, including hearing him sing “Cowboy Casanova,” which he co-wrote. She recalled writing with him on a song that he basically wrote 75 percent of and had ready when he walked in the room, yet at the end of the songwriting process, he insisted they split the credit equally.
Underwood indicated that her favorite songs to sing that they wrote together were ones about Jesus because the thoughts and feelings behind them were so genuine and pure. She added that she would never sing one note of them again without thinking of him.
James’ extensive catalog included Kenny Chesney’s “When the Sun Goes Down” and “Out Last Night,” Jason Aldean’s “The Truth,” Dierks Bentley’s “I Hold On,” Scotty McCreery’s debut single “I Love You This Big,” Rascal Flatts’ “Summer Nights,” and Martina McBride’s “Blessed.” Taylor Swift recorded “A Perfectly Good Heart,” which she co-wrote with James and Troy Verges, for her debut 2006 album.
Country superstar Dierks Bentley, who co-wrote “I Hold On” with James, posted a tribute on Instagram, calling him a total stud, fellow aviator, and one of the best singer-songwriters in Nashville. Bentley described James as a total legend.
The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers issued a statement describing James as a trusted collaborator to country’s greatest names and a true advocate for his fellow songwriters. The organization thanked him for his unforgettable music.
According to reports, the three occupants of the plane had just celebrated the stepdaughter’s 28th birthday before the crash. James, born June 5, 1968, in Columbia, Missouri, is survived by his ex-wife, Sandra Cornelius, and their four children.
James was known for more than 20 years primarily as a songwriter for other country and pop artists, though he was also a country musician in his own right. His death represents a significant loss to Nashville’s music community, where he was regarded as one of the most prolific and talented songwriters of his generation.
