A pilot was flying his wife and children home from a holiday in Disney World, Florida, when tragedy struck.
Joseph Crenshaw, 45, was flying a small aircraft home to Jackson, Tennessee, when they got into trouble over Alabama, an air accident report revealed.
Mr Crenshaw hit heavy rain and weather over Alabama and got in contact with air traffic control for guidance around the storm.
As they gave the small plane directions around the storm it suddenly descended from 12,000ft through 5,800ft, ABC3340 reports.
The controllers warned Mr Crenshaw to maintain altitude at which point he replied with his tragic last words:
I’m doing the best I can.
Immediately afterwards contact was lost and the plane crashed killing all on board including Mr Crenshaw’s wife Jennifer, 43, his son Jacob, 16, and daughter Jillian, 14
Witnesses said the plane made a loud ‘boom’ as it crashed before continuing to spin through the air spreading wreckage across a wide area.