FLAGLER COUNTY, Fla. – A recovery mission began Saturday in Flagler County after an aircraft went down overnight in a rural area near the Volusia County line, according to Sheriff Rick Staly.
The aircraft lost contact that evening with the Palatka Municipal Airport, the sheriff’s office said on social media, adding the search drew a large law enforcement presence to the area of State Road 11 near Bunnell.
In an update to the post Saturday morning, the sheriff’s office said the aircraft had been located in a densely-wooded area of Flagler County.
An extensive search with assistance from the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office’s helicopter led to the aircraft’s discovery near the county line, another post states. A photo shared with the post contains a caption describing the location of wreckage in deputies’ search for the missing plane.
Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly later specified the aircraft is a 2012 Cessna 208 that was planned to be used in the upcoming week for skydiving.
Rook Nelson is the president of Illinois-based Eagle Air Transport Inc., which he confirmed owns the aircraft. Nelson provided the following statement to News 6:
We became aware around 8 pm last night that there was an incident involving one of our aircraft. Around 6 pm an experienced pilot departed Sebastian, FL enroute to Palatka. The aircraft did not make it to its destination for unknown reasons. We have very little information beyond this and are working with local and federal authorities in the ongoing investigation.
Rook Nelson, president of Eagle Air Transport Inc.
Staly held a news conference before noon Saturday near the site of the crash, describing the situation as a “recovery mission.”
“They lost contact with the aircraft about 7:30 p.m. We were notified at 8 p.m.,” Staly said. “ (...) Just a little after midnight, we located the aircraft. It was pitch dark last night, there was no moon, a lot of cloud coverage. I was here last night, it was about the worst conditions you can imagine to try to find an aircraft, and how we found it based on the general area of the aircraft — what Jacksonville authorities indicated on their radar — was, we started walking in, actually, this area, and noticed the smell of fuel. That allowed us to have the Volusia helicopter pointed in a smaller area and they spotted one of the tires.”
The pilot had not yet been identified and their next of kin had not been notified at the time of this report, Staly said. In a statement, the sheriff’s office told News 6 that the pilot is believed to be male.
“After it dropped off the radar, the air traffic controllers did try to raise the aircraft. There was no contact. We had been given a phone number for who we believe was the pilot and had no contact there either, and so we extend our condolences to the loved ones and the family,” Staly said.
An FAA spokesman provided the following statement to News 6, clarifying the information was preliminary and subject to change:
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.
Kevin Morris - FAA Office of Communications
Anyone who has any information about the situation is asked to contact the sheriff’s office at 386-313-4911.
Watch the news conference again in the video player below or by clicking here.
This is a developing story. Check back here for updates.
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