Officials in Boynton Beach say divers have discovered the body a 24-year-old pilot who went missing after a small plane crash Sunday night. The incident was said to have occurred near the Boynton Beach Inlet around 8:00 p.m. After hours of searching for the missing pilot, the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Department Tweeted Monday afternoon that the pilot has been found inside of the drowned aircraft. Authorities also reported that the aircraft was discovered to be “pretty much intact.”
#BREAKING @USCG, local agencies found a Piper 28 aircraft near Boynton Beach Inlet. #Miami @FAANews reports 1 person aboard. Rescuers are searching for a 24-year-old male. The aircraft crashed into the water Sun., @PBCountySheriff divers are searching. #StayTuned @MyFWC #SAR pic.twitter.com/fSqvytNd3o
— USCGSoutheast (@USCGSoutheast) January 25, 2021
Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen said that the plane was flying from the Palm Beach County Park Airport in Lantana to Merritt Island Airport when it was said to have crashed. The National Transportation Safety Board is currently investigating the cause of the crash.