Vintage L-39 Military Jet Crashes and Burns Near Mayfield, Kentucky; Pilot, 70, Killed
MAYFIELD, Ky. — A small aircraft crashed near the Mayfield-Graves County Airport in Graves County, Kentucky, at about 2:08 p.m. on November 8, 2026, killing its pilot. Graves County Sheriff Jon Hayden said responders found the aircraft engulfed in flames in a field near Spence Chapel Road, close to Interstate 69 and Kentucky Route 131.
The aircraft was a vintage military jet, an L-39 Albatros. The pilot was later identified as James Alan Michaels, 70, of Dousman, Wisconsin. He and his daughter were returning from an air show in Mississippi and had stopped in Mayfield to refuel; Michaels' jet crashed shortly after takeoff and he died at the scene, while his daughter, flying a second L-39, landed safely.
The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board have taken over the investigation; the cause has not been announced.
Source: Louisville Courier Journal
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 一架 L-39「信天翁」喷气教练机在航展上表演。（Christian Cachola 摄，公共领域，经 DVIDS）
