Five killed in Nashville small plane crash

Five people were killed when a single-engine plane crashed near a major motorway in Nashville, Tennessee, officials said.

The pilot reported engine troubles in an emergency call to a Nashville airport around 19:40 EST (12:40 GMT).

The aircraft was cleared to make an emergency landing there but the pilot later said the plane would not make it, Nashville police said.

The aircraft burst into flames upon crashing.

It landed in a grassy area near a Costco supermarket.

The implosion shut down parts of the interstate I-40, but the plane did not hit any other vehicles or buildings before it crashed, according to Metro Nashville Police spokesperson Don Aaron.

Nashville Police wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, that "5 persons on board perished in the crash", and that it was still working to determine where the plane came from.

The victims have yet to be named.

Nashville Fire Department spokesperson Kendra Loney said witnesses told officials the plane imploded on impact in the "catastrophic" crash, according to local news outlet the Tennessean.

Firefighters were able to extinguish the blaze but keep parts of the plane for evidence, Ms Loney said.

Mr Aaron said that witnesses saw the plane was "obviously in distress as it was coming over the interstate, right before it hit the ground".

"I think he was having significant issues keeping the aircraft under control," Mr Aaron said.

The National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration are probing the cause of the crash.