Brett Cornelius aka Brett James and two others died when his private aircraft crashed in a field in Franklin, N.C., at 3 p.m. EDT on Thursday afternoon.

Sept. 19 (UPI) -- Brett James and two others died when the country songwriter's private plane crashed in a field in Franklin, N.C., at 3 p.m. EDT on Thursday afternoon.

The Nashville Songwriter Hall of Fame announced his death on Thursday and credited James, whose real name was Brett Cornelius, with writing several hit songs, such as Carrie Underwood's "Jesus, Take the Wheel," and Kenny Chesney's "When the Sun Goes Down," WTVS reported.

The crash killed all three on board, including the pilot, Cornelius, 57, and one other, who is yet to be identified, according to the Federal Aviation Administration, according to CNN.

The aircraft departed the John C. Turner Airport in Nashville and crashed in a field near the Iotla Valley Elementary School in Franklin after flying about 270 miles to the southeast.

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the cause of the deadly crash.

The small-engine aircraft is a Cirrus SR22T that is registered to Cornelius, who had a 20-year career as a songwriter for several country and pop music artists.

He won a Grammy for Best Country Song and was nominated for Best Song for "Jesus, Take the Wheel" in 2007.

Cornelius was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame Class of 2020 as Brett James, along with Steve Earle, Bobby Gentry, Kent Blazy and Spooner Oldham.