SAFFORD, Ariz. (AP) - Federal transportation officials said Wednesday they are investigating the crash of a small plane that killed the pilot, the lone occupant aboard.
The Graham County Sheriff’s Office said Wednesday it received a report shortly before midday on Tuesday about a plane on a hillside near the airport in the small city of Safford, Arizona.
The agency said law enforcement and emergency medical workers arrived to find the pilot had died. It identified him as 79-year-old Delos “Dee” Echlin, 79, described by family as an experienced former Navy pilot. Officials said an autopsy will be performed.
There was extensive damage to the aircraft, but there was no fire.
The sheriff’s office said the two-seat plane took off from from Tucson International Airport between 7:30 and 8:15 a.m. Tuesday on a trip for the day to Saffard. The plane was near Saffard Regional Airport when it went off radar. No distress signal was reported.
What remained of the plane was taken Wednesday morning to Phoenix, where it will be inspected by experts from the National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration, the sheriff’s office said.
FAA public affairs manager Ian Gregor said the NTSB will be the lead investigating agency that determines the probable cause of the crash.
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