TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — An investigation is underway after a pilot’s body was recovered off the coast of South Florida Thursday following a small plane crash.
Coast Guard officials said the body was recovered off Pompano Beach after the Air Force rescue coordination center reported a possible downed aircraft. Crews also recovered the plane’s wheel, and two life jackets believed to have belonged to the pilot.
According to WSVN, the pilot, who was flying in the single-engine Cessna 172, took off from Pompano Beach Airpark around 9:30 a.m. Investigators told the news outlet the aircraft crashed into the ocean northeast of Pompano Beach sometime later.
The pilot was reportedly the only one aboard. Authorities did not immediately release thier identity.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation.