BUNNELL, Fla. — Investigators with the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office spent several hours, going through the night, in a wooded area near State Road 11 Saturday morning.
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That was the final destination where authorities say they found what was left of the small plane. “It was the worst condition that you could imagine to try to find an aircraft,” said Sheriff Rick Staly from Flagler County.
The more than 12 hours-search ended with a tragedy – the plane’s pilot was killed in the crash.
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“Last night, about 8 p.m., the Sheriff’s office received a call about a missing aircraft. The last known location on the radar was in this general area of Lake Disston.
Channel 9 obtained radar video showing the moment the aircraft seems to disappear while flying 2,000 feet up in the sky. The plane had taken off around 6 p.m. from Sebastian Airport and was headed to the Palatka airport when it lost contact with the base near DeLand.
Later, just past midnight, the aircraft was found in Bunnell. The Drone 9 video above shows the heavy wood, the farm-like spot where investigators were focused. According to the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office, the Cessna Caravan is registered under the company Eagle Air Transport Inc., based in Chicago.
The ten-seater plane is used for skydiving.
“Deputies went there, and basically, this plane is unrecognizable from the impact into the ground,” the Sheriff said. According to the company, the pilot was the only person onboard the aircraft when the malfunction was reported.
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In a statement sent to Channel 9, Eagle Air Transport said:
“We became aware around 8 p.m. last night of an incident involving one of our aircraft. Around 6 p.m., an experienced pilot departed Sebastian, FL, en route to Palatka. The aircraft did not make it to its destination for unknown reasons. We have little information beyond this and are working with local and federal authorities on the ongoing investigation.”
The FAA sent the following statement:
“A Cessna 208 crashed in a field in southern Flagler County, Florida, around 1:00 a.m. local time on Saturday, February 15. Only the pilot was on board. The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will investigate. The NTSB will be in charge of the investigation and will provide any updates.”
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