A beloved doctor who flew himself to remote communities to treat patients has been killed in a horror plane crash.
Dr Michael Hood, 75, was piloting the small aircraft when it suffered an apparent engine failure shortly after take-off.
The experienced pilot desperately tried to turn back towards the airport but the plane struck trees and power lines before crashing onto a road.
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It then burst into flames, with Dr Hood – the only person on board – tragically pronounced dead at the scene, as reported by Need To Know.
The family doctor had spent more than four decades caring for patients and was known for flying himself to remote and rural hospitals struggling with staff shortages.
His daughter said he had worked as a family doctor for more than 45 years, as well as serving as a hospitalist and emergency room physician.
Dr Hood’s extraordinary dedication to his patients was also demonstrated during Hurricane Helene, when he reportedly kayaked to work so he could continue treating them.
Heartbroken patients and colleagues have now paid tribute to the much-loved medic.
One longtime patient, named only as Nancy, said: “Everybody loves him, everybody loves him.
“People were drawn to him.
“He loved people, and they loved him back, and they responded to him on their level.”
Donnie Tate, an administrator at the Family Practice Center where Dr Hood worked, described him as a “phenomenal human being”.
He said Dr Hood had practised there since 1982 and “would never turn a patient away”.
Dr Hood was one of the founding physicians of the Family Practice Center in Newport, Tennessee.
Away from medicine, he was involved with his local theatre guild and the Boy Scouts, as well as search and rescue efforts in the Smoky Mountains.
The fatal crash happened shortly after 10am on Monday (7 September) after Dr Hood took off from Space Coast Regional Airport in Titusville, Florida.
The National Transportation Safety Board said the pilot reported an engine failure shortly after departure and attempted to return to the airport.
But the single-engine aircraft struck a tree line and power lines before coming down near Columbia Boulevard.
Witnesses told emergency services the plane had hit a power line before crashing onto the road.
Firefighters extinguished the resulting blaze but Dr Hood could not be saved.
The wreckage has since been recovered and moved to a secure facility for examination.
The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the cause of the crash.
A preliminary report is expected within around 30 days.
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