Pilot, 49, dies in horror crash when his small plane nosedives into Lake Hamilton in Arkansas after indicating it was in distress: Female passenger, 23, is rushed to hospital
- The passengers have been identified as Denise Jones, 23, and Daniel Jones, 49
- The pilot, Daniel, was found unconscious and pronounced dead at the scene
- The plane was registered in Arizona and had taken off from Kentucky
A pilot was killed after his small plane plunged into an Arkansas lake after he reportedly indicated the plane was in distress.
The small-engine plane, a Cessna 177 Cardinal, crashed Monday morning into Lake Hamilton, southwest of Little Rock, according to the Garland County Sheriff’s Office.
A ‘responding’ female passenger was rescued at the scene by first responders and taken to hospital where she is being treated.
Divers also pulled an unconscious male passenger from the plane. Police later confirmed that he had died.
The passengers have been identified by police as Denise Jones, 23, and pilot Daniel Dale Jones, 49.
A plane with at least two people on board crashed into an Arkansas lake after the pilot reportedly indicated the plane was in distress. The quest pictured above
Several authorities are currently working to get the plane out of the water
The survivor was flown to the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock for treatment.
Authorities said the pilot requested permission to land at nearby Hot Springs airfield due to “plane emergency.”
“When the plane failed to land at the airport, 911 authorities were contacted who were already on their way to the Port Au Prince site,” police said on Facebook.
The doomed plane came from Kentucky.
“It has been confirmed that they were en route to the Hot Springs airport and their final location is under investigation by the FAA, as well as the reason for the emergency call,” police said in a statement.
Footage shared on social media appears to show that the plane completely submerged about 100 feet offshore.
Local reporter Rolly Hoyt said multiple agencies are currently working to get the plane out of the water.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash.
The plane is registered to a company from Phoenix, Arizona, according to 12News.
Earlier this month, a two-year-old, her mother and two others died after an unresponsive business jet crashed over Washington DC in Virginia.
Rescue workers had to abandon the search as no survivors were found after finding the wreckage at the crash site and shredded debris.
It is still unknown what happened to the pilot or why the plane flipped over after approaching its destination on Long Island.
The victims’ families suggested that the plane may have run out of pressure, while other experts suggested that the pilot may have been suffering from low oxygen levels.