JESSAMINE COUNTY, Ky. — Jessamine County community members are remembering the pilot who was killed after a parachute aircraft crashed Sunday evening, Oct. 27, near Nicholasville, Kentucky, just south of Lexington. Two people died as it flipped while landing. 

What You Need To Know

  • Two people died in a parachute aircraft crash Oct. 27 near Nicholasville, Kentucky, just south of Lexington 

  • According to a preliminary report, the parachute crashed just off Ashgrove Road 

  • Community members are sharing their thoughts and memories of watching pilot Michael Murphy fly his Buckeye Dream Machine

  • The Jessamine County Sheriff's Office continues to investigate

Noel Richie said greeting friends and the community from the skies was part of his friend Michael Murphy’s flying routine.

“Three of them normally fly in, and he would fly over my house; I've got a little farm up here," Richie said. "He'd circle, wave at me ... that's what he was doing.”

Rarely alone on his powered parachute, the Buckeye Dream Machine, community members like Junior Rayan, who works at the family-owned convenience store EZ Mart down the road from where Murphy flew his aircraft, said he stopped in the store before several of his flights. 

“He flies here pretty much every Sunday; he comes out here," Rayan said. "You could see him in the sky. He says 'Hi' ... he'll wave at everybody and wave back. He'll come in and bring all his grandkids and they'll buy snacks and pops and then go out and fly.” 

Richie said he and Murphy’s friendship goes back almost 30 years. He said he was a sharp flyer and often asked him to join him on expeditions.

“It's got like a parachute on it and then the rest of it, you sit, and it's just you strapped in with him and everything," Richie said. "And once it gets going, it's like an airboat engine, a smaller version of the airboat and just sitting behind him.”

Richie and Murphy flew together on many occasions across both Nicholasville and Lexington, Richie said. 

According to a preliminary report with the Federal Aviation Administration, the parachute crashed upon landing off Ashgrove Road. The report said it was registered to Murphy, 72, in 2019. An aviation investigation report from the National Transportation Safety Board from Oct. 2008 shared the Buckeye Dream Machine had previously been involved in a small crash. 

Richie said Murphy always shared his passion and experience with many others. He reached out to his friend once he heard about the situation. His wife confirmed the news after receiving no response. 

Richie's heart is with Murphy's children and grandchildren, he said. The Jessamine County Sheriff's Office continues to investigate. 

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