Pilot of stolen, crashed North Carolina aircraft still missing

[News_Editor]

Pilot of stolen, crashed North Carolina aircraft still missing

2011-08-18 01:14:05 GMT+7 (ICT)

ALAMANCE COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA (BNO NEWS) -- The pilot of a stolen plane which crashed in North Carolina on Tuesday is still missing, as local authorities continue their search, officials said Tuesday night.

The Piper Aircraft fixed-wing single engine aircraft was stolen on late Monday night at Horace Williams Airport, which is located near Chapel Hill in North Carolina and is owned by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The aircraft crashed at around 7 a.m. local time on Tuesday within the property of the Alamance Wildlife Club, according to the Burlington Times News.

The Alamance County Sheriff's Office is investigating the case while a North Carolina State Highway Patrol helicopter landed near the crash site to assist. After analyzing a blood trail left at the site, local authorities believe the pilot of the aircraft was able to escape out of the front window, crawl onto the wing, and go into the woods.

The area was cordoned off and authorities used bloodhounds to try and locate the missing pilot, which has been identified although no name has been released. Officials believe the plane crashed because it ran out of fuel since there was no significant fuel spill at the site.

The North Carolina Civil Air Patrol was alerted to the crash by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center, which is located at Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida. The search and rescue satellite detected the plane's distress beacon, which automatically goes off when a certain amount of force is detected as in a plane accident.

The aircraft, which is registered to LFW Investments LLC, is owned by Larry Warren, who said that the plane was still at the airport between 8 and 9 p.m. local time on Monday. The aircraft is not likely to be removed from the woods until later this week.

FAA investigators have arrived at the scene to continue the investigation into the cause of the accident.

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