A couple from Ontario and their three children were identified as victims of a fatal plane crash in Nashville.

Nashville police identified the pilot and said in a post on X, formerly Twitter, that it was Victor Dotsenko, 43, from King Township, north of Toronto.

The police said that Dotsenko's wife, Rima, 39, and their three children, David, 12, Adam, 10, and Emma, 7, were also killed.

The mayor of King Township, Steve Pellegrini, expressed his condolences to the family's friends and relatives.

He said in a post on X: "This is a heartbreaking and devastating loss for our tight-knit community."

The pilot's recording stated that he would not attempt to land

Meanwhile, U.S. authorities continue to investigate the incident in Tennessee when a single-engine plane crashed along a highway west of downtown Nashville on Monday, killing everyone on board.

Investigator Aaron McCarter from the National Transportation Safety Board said the flight took off from Ontario.

In a radio transmission recording, the pilot told air traffic controllers that his engine had stopped working, and he flew over John C. Tune Airport, circling it in an attempt to land.

The runway was evacuated at the airport, but the pilot said the plane had actually descended to an altitude of 487 meters, and he was too far away and would not be able to reach it.

Global Affairs Canada said it is aware of reports of five Canadians dying in Tennessee but will not disclose any details out of privacy considerations.

The Canadian Transportation Safety Board said it appointed a representative for the investigation led by the United States.

"A terrible and horrific tragedy"

Alan Page, the club's general manager, said the plane was based at the Brampton Flight Centre, owned and operated by the Brampton Flying Club. He could not determine if the plane took off from there, as the airport is uncontrolled and has no flight records.

His fellow pilot, Tony Starsievich, told CBC News outside the Brampton facility: "It is a very tragic disaster. We are all deeply affected by it."

Five Canadians killed in small plane crash in Nashville

Starsievich said he knows the owner of the plane and is thinking of him and his family. "When these kinds of things happen, it affects all of us and we all question our safety. We will all go and audit our emergency procedures."

Canadian civil aircraft records show the plane was registered to a numbered company as of last July. The business was registered to an address in Vaughan, Ontario, according to provincial business records.