ANDERSON, Ind. (WISH) — The pilot of a single-engine plane died Tuesday afternoon after crashing in a rural area just north of Anderson.
Capt. Darwin Dwiggins with the Madison County Sheriff’s Department confirmed the incident just after 1 p.m. In a later update, the department said deputies were called around 12:30 p.m. Tuesday to a plane crash in the 4200 block of North County Road 100 West, near the unincorporated community of Florida.
Deputies found the plane, which had crashed into a tree, on fire. First responders said the pilot died at the scene.
The pilot, who has not been publicly identified, was the only person on board.
It was not immediately clear what could have caused the crash or what model of plane was involved.
The plane had been en route from Rensselaer to Anderson when it crashed just 7 miles northwest of the Anderson Regional Airport. Authorities said the plane was being moved after it had been purchased.
Investigators say they believe the plane touched down multiple times in a nearby field before hitting the tree. Air traffic communicators at the Anderson Airport Tower reportedly spoke with the pilot shortly before the accident, but nothing indicated that something was wrong.
A representative of the National Transportation Safety Board will visit the crash site on Thursday.
News 8’s Melea VanOstrand contributed to this report.
