(Photo: : Maine Forest Service Helicopter)
NEWS CENTER, WCSH
August 27, 2015
HOULTON, Maine (NEWS CENTER) --
The wreckage of a missing plane was found Monday morning in a small manmade pond off the White Settlement Road in Houlton, a short distance from the Houlton airport, officials report.
According to Maine Department of Public Safety Spokesman, Steve McCausland, the pilot is presumed dead. He was the only person on board at the time of the crash.
Officials say the pond is now being drained in order for first responders to get to the wreckage to recover the body. Police say searchers found the wreckage Thursday morning after noticing floating debris in the pond.
The twin engine plane was flying from Labrador to Florida, police say, and had been expected to land at the airport for a customs inspection about 1 a.m.
In a press release, police say the plane appears to have clipped some trees and then flipped over into the pond.
State Police, Maine Forest Service and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection including the U.S. Border Patrol and Houlton Air Unit were among the many agencies that searched for the plane this morning, either on the ground or in the air.
NEWS CENTER is expecting more information from Houlton police later.
Houlton plane crash (Photo: Maine State Police)
Date: 27-AUG-2015
Time: 01:56
Type:
Piper PA-44-180 Seminole
Owner/operator: Growl Inc
Registration: N553MD *
C/n / msn: 44-8095021
Fatalities: Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1
Other fatalities: 0
Airplane damage: Written off (damaged beyond repair)
Location: Houlton International Airport (KHUL), Houlton, ME -
United States of America Phase: Approach
Nature: Unknown
Departure airport: CFB Goose Bay (CYYR)
Destination airport: Houlton Intl (KHUL)
Narrative:
The aircraft clipped trees and came to rest in a pond while on approach to Houlton International Airport (KHUL), Houlton, Maine. The airplane destroyed and the sole pilot onboard is presumed to have been fatally injured.
* Registration unconfirmed.
Sources:
http://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=179055
http://www.wcsh6.com/story/news/local/2015/08/27/police-investigate-plane-crash/32466419/
http://flightaware.com/live/flight/N553MD
http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=553MD
https://www.flickr.com/photos/leeweston/16420356935