The cause of the crash remains unclear. Debris from the incident covered a wide area, WLBT reported, which investigators said suggests there may have been an explosion on the plane before it crashed.
Local resident Andy Jones told the Associated Press that he was working on his family's catfish farm when he heard a loud boom, and saw the plane smoking and spiraling to the ground.
"You looked up and you saw the plane twirling around," Jones said. "It was spinning down." By the time he and other witnesses arrived at the crash site, he said, the wreckage was burning too intensely to approach.
"It was one of the worst fires you can imagine," Jones said. The fire continued to explode after the crash, prompting some emergency responders to suggest that the plane may have been carrying ammunition.