RIP
https://www.wcjb.com/2023/11/14/emergency-crews-find-missing-plane-after-control-towers-lose-contact-over-paynes-prairie/(I have him departing Kississimee, and that's that last time I hear him, was squaking radio failure. Don't know if he was traveling with another plane, but everyone seemed to know, and concerned)
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (WCJB) - Rescue teams found a small plane crashed in Paynes Prairie State Park on Tuesday evening after hours of searching.
Alachua County Sheriff’s Office officials say control towers in Gainesville and Jacksonville both lost contact with a small plane flying near Micanopy. Multiple people called 911 and reported seeing a plane crash in the preserve.
Rescue crews from Alachua and Marion counties are aided in the search for the missing aircraft which was found just before 6 p.m. in the park. Officials have confirmed there was one death, the only person on board.
The sheriff’s office will secure the scene ahead of the arrival of the FAA. The agency will investigate the crash along with the NTSB. Sheriff Emery Gainey explained weather made it difficult to find the plane quickly.
“We’ve got dozens of deputies and ACFR folks out here working together,” explained Gainey at the scene. “Obviously, because of the rain and the cloud cover, we can’t put our air officers up in the air. So, we’re having to do a ground search, and obviously, the terrain is really wet. It’s really thick, but we’re determined to make our way through to locate the plane.”
