The crash of a small plane in Nashville appears to be a familiar story : A pilot not authorized to fly in foul weather meanders into a foggy soup and tries to land . Things go wrong . The plane crashes . The pilot is killed . But in other respects , Tuesday 's crash is anything but ordinary . The doomed Canadian pilot flies to a major airport apparently without radioing controllers . And when the plane crashes just off a main runway , erupting in fire , the crash goes undetected . By anyone . Likely for hours . On Wednesday , the National Transportation Safety Board painted some broad outlines to an accident picture that is begging for specific details . NTSB investigator Jay Neylon said the NTSB is focusing on a seven-hour window in which the Cessna 172R crashed along runway 2C at Nashville International Airport . The crash , he said , occurred sometime between 2 a.m. -- when an airport worker conducted a routine runway check -- and 8:45 a.m. -- when a taxiing aircraft reported seeing `` debris on the runway . '' Rescue workers were dispatched and found the plane 's sole occupant dead amid the fire-scarred wreckage . `` At this point we have no idea the exact time ( of the crash ) , '' Neylon said . Neylon said the safety board had not yet determined whether the pilot attempted to contact air traffic controllers . `` We will look at everything in the investigation , and that does include air traffic control , '' he said . The pilot was Michael Callan , according to a source at the Ontario-based Windsor Flying Club , which owns the plane . The source spoke on condition of anonymity . The club previously said the pilot was a club member who rented the plane and planned to return it the next day . The accident is `` certainly a little unusual , to say the least , '' said Bruce Landsberg , president of the AOPA Foundation and Air Safety Institute . `` To have an airplane , even a small airplane , crash at a major airport and go unnoticed for quite a while does seem unusual , '' said Tom Haueter , former director of the NTSB 's Office of Accident Investigation . Both men say the dense fog , which may have contributed to the crash , likely prevented controllers from seeing the incident . The control tower is roughly one mile from the end of Runway 2C , the crash site . But they said the crash raises intriguing questions about the actions of the pilot and controllers . `` My biggest question is Why ? Why was the pilot there ? Why was n't he talking to anybody ? '' said Landsberg . Aircraft are required to communicate with controllers when entering controlled airspace . Haueter echoed that thought . `` Whether it 's day or night , when you 're approaching an airport of this size and density , you have to start contacting controllers well in advance , usually from about 25 miles out ... to let them know you 're arriving , '' Haueter said . If the pilot was unfamiliar with Nashville airport 's frequencies , he could have used a universal frequency to contact controllers , Landsberg said . Both men speculated that the pilot could have strayed into foul weather and been too preoccupied with flying the plane to contact the tower . The Federal Aviation Administration said the tower had normal staffing early Tuesday , but it declined to specify the number of controllers on duty . Landsberg and Haueter said the accident also raises questions about the air traffic controllers . `` How did the airplane get to the airport without the controller saying , 'Hey what is this guy doing out there ? ' '' Landsberg said . Said Haueter : `` Certainly this is an airport that has very good facilities . It has radar ; it has lots of capabilities and how an aircraft could approach , possibly circle , we 're hearing , then crash short of the runway , unnoticed for so long , does raise some questions . '' David Gillies , president of Windsor Flying Club , said the pilot , who was unaccompanied , rented the club plane for an overnight trip . `` It is not usual for this individual to rent an airplane overnight , '' he said . The pilot was certified to fly under `` visual flight rules , '' allowing him to fly in fair weather , and was qualified to fly at night . But the pilot did not have an instrument rating allowing him to fly into weather systems , Gillies said . Gillies said Nashville airport officials told him the pilot `` circled '' over the airport `` for some time '' and that the plane crashed while trying to land about 2:30 a.m. `` They 've indicated to us that they have tapes of him circling and that the time of his demise was about 2:30 , '' he said . Airport officials have declined to discuss the accident in detail , citing the NTSB investigation . The Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority , in a statement , said `` the time of the crash has not been determined and reports to the contrary are not factual . These facts will be determined as part of the NTSB investigation . '' On Wednesday , the NTSB surveyed the crash site , investigator Neylon said . He plans to examine air traffic control tapes and radar soon . And the NTSB will examine the pilot 's flight records and interview his instructors . The investigation , Neylon said , is in the early stages , and it may take a year before the board determines a probable cause . Asked whether this wreck was anomalous , Neylon said , `` Every accident 's unusual . '' Southwest plane returns to Nashville after striking birds .
Investigator says plane crashed some time after 2 a.m. , was n't noticed until 8:45 a.m . Pilot may not have been in contact with control tower . NTSB : Single - engine plane crashed unnoticed at Nashville International Airport . There was a dense fog the night of the crash , but investigators doubt if it was factor .