Final report says poor piloting led to Knoxville woman’s deadly Middle Tennessee plane crash

PULASKI, Tenn. (WVLT) - Poor piloting caused a 2023 plane crash in Pulaski, Tennessee that killed both the pilot and her father, according to a report from the National Transportation Safety Board.

Previous Coverage: Giles County plane crash victims identified

The report was published Thursday and said the pilot, Jenny Blalock, of Knoxville, wasn’t able to keep control of the plane. She was flying with her father, 78-year-old James Blalock.

Jenny Blalock also had a history of poor flying, according to the report.

“Flight instructors who had flown with the pilot before the accident indicated that she routinely demonstrated poor manual aircraft handling and struggled with cockpit automation, including autopilot and trim use,” the report said.

The report added that not only did she have trouble in the air, but she was flying a plane too-complicated for her skill level.

“The pilot’s training history showed that she had demonstrated difficulty maintaining situational awareness, suggesting the high-performance airplane she had purchased about 1.5 years before the accident was beyond her level of pilot proficiency, something explicitly noted by one of the instructors who had flown with her,” the report said.

Jenny Blalock’s struggling with the autopilot led to the crash, the report said. The NTSB found she didn’t adjust settings correctly while using autopilot, which led to the plane oscillating and ultimately crashing.

Investigators spoke to Jenny Blalock’s flight instructor as part of the NTSB’s investigation. The report said they were critical of her.

“The instructor stated that she, ‘leaned on technology too much and did not have solid stick and rudder flying skills,’” the report said. “[H]e stated that she would often confuse the trim direction and would manually adjust the trim in the wrong direction.”

Investigators also spoke with the general manager of the flight school Jenny Blalock attended. The manager was also critical of her flying and judgement.

“He reported that several weeks before the accident, she was given an instrument phase check and that it did not go well on almost all aspects of aircraft control, situational awareness and risk management,” the report said.

The report also said Jenny Blalock had taken anti-anxiety medication and antidepressant’s, some of which were classified as “no-fly” drugs.