Pilot killed in crash involving 'military-style jet' in western Kentucky

A pilot died Sunday afternoon when a military-style jet crashed in a field near Mayfield Graves County Airport, according to the Graves County Sheriff's Office.

Deputies said 911 calls around 2 p.m. reported a downed plane near I-69 and KY Hwy 131. First responders located the wreckage in a field just off Spence Chapel Road.

The aircraft was identified as an L-39 Albatros, an older military-style jet. The pilot was the sole occupant and did not survive the crash.

The pilot and his daughter, both from Wisconsin, had been returning from an air show in Mississippi and had stopped at the airport to refuel; the daughter was flying a second L-39 Albatros.

After takeoff, the pilot radioed that he was returning to the airport due to issues with his aircraft, and the plane subsequently went down in a field shortly afterward. The FAA and NTSB have been notified and are responding. The pilot’s identity and the cause of the crash have not yet been released.