Flagler County plane crash: Wreckage found in rural, remote area, officials say
The Brief
A missing plane crashed overnight in a rural area of Central Florida, officials said.
The plane was found in a remote, dense, wooded area near the Flagler-Volusia county lines.
EagleAir Transport said it was a "repositioning flight" and that only the pilot was onboard.
The NTSB said it is investigating the crash.
FLAGLER COUNTY, Fla. - A missing airplane over Florida was found to have crashed in a rural, wooded area overnight in Flagler County, according to the Flagler County Sheriff's Office.
11AM press conference: Flagler Sheriff Rick Staly is expected to hold a press conference at 11 a.m. regarding the missing aircraft and recovery. FOX 35 will stream the press conference on FOX35Orlando.com and in the FOX Local app. You can watch in the video player above.
What we know
Shortly after midnight, the Flagler County Sheriff's Office said it was searching for a missing aircraft that lost contact with the Palatka Municipal Airport on Friday and did not land when scheduled.
Early Saturday morning, the FCSO said it found the missing aircraft in a "remote, very dense wooded area" near the Flagler-Volusia county lines.
"FCSO will still be active in the area as the investigation and recovery continues. We will provide further updates as the investigation progresses."
The NTSB said the plane was a Cessna 208. An NTSB investigator was expected to arrive at the crash site on Saturday afternoon, the agency said in a statement.
The FAA confirmed the plane crash around 1 a.m.
What we don't know
Officials have not yet shared how many people were aboard the plane nor their conditions. Officials have also not released details on the circumstances of the flight or the crash.
In a statement, Rook Nelson, president of EagleAir Transport, an Illinois-based aerospace company, confirmed that one of its planes was involved in the crash.
"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," he said in a statement.
The Source
The information in this article came from the Flagler County Sheriff's Office, NTSB, and EagleAir Trabsport.
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