Fatal Plane Crash Victim Identified

Federal investigators are on the scene of a deadly plane crash in Muskogee. The 59-year-old pilot from Tennessee was killed.

News On 6's Ashli Sims reports neighbors, police and bystanders were shocked the airplane could crash in the middle of a neighborhood and only manage to hit an empty lot, between two homes in the 900 block of Indiana Street in Muskogee.

Stunned neighbors gathered at the police line, snapping pictures on their cell phones of a scene that was hard to believe.

"No, I've never seen anything like this. And I never want to see it again. It was a terrible thing to see. It just happened so fast it was like a blur," said witness, David Parker.

David Parker says he was taking his afternoon walk at Pleasant Valley Assisted Living when he heard it.

"The sound of the motor was so loud, I knew he gotta be low. And when he came over the top, he was like this and then he cleared that line. I wasn't sure where he was gonna land. And as soon as he cleared that line he just nosedived straight down," said Parker.

"It was this awful sound; engine was cutting out, whirring sound, and then a big explosion," said witness, David Rhea.

Witnesses say when the single engine experimental plane hit the ground, it shook nearby buildings.

"I heard it and I rushed over to the scene and it was just too late. I was hoping that I could find and help someone out, but I showed up too late," said Rhea.

Muskogee police say the pilot, 59-year-old Ronald Dickey from Tennessee, was killed. The wreckage was drilled several feet into the ground and dozens of flags mark the trail of debris.

But, it's the crash site, an empty field sandwiched between two homes, that has many folks saying it could have been much worse.

"You got this full blown nursing facility right here and then you've got two homes. So, it's kind of crazy that it landed in a field between two homes," said Lieutenant Devin Beach with Muskogee police.

"That nursing home is right here and all these people here are all retired. He could have killed a lot of people. That's what I'm thinking. He saw it and said, ‘I'm not gonna do it' and went there," said Parker.

Muskogee police believe Ronald Dickey took off from Fayette County, Tennessee and was on his way to Texas, before he crashed.

The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating.