Police find scene of small plane crash, pilot dead

PITTSFORD, Vt. – Vermont State Police say they’ve found a heavily damaged small plane and that the pilot is dead.

Police said Thursday they found the plane in the town of Pittsford, hours after they started a search. They have not released the identity of the pilot, the only person on board the plane. A news conference was planned later Thursday.

Police say they received information Wednesday night about an overdue white Cessna with maroon trim en route to Middlebury from Massachusetts.

They searched a dense forest area of Pittsford, about 25 miles south of Middlebury. A caller had reported a loud noise at about 5 p.m. Wednesday.

The Federal Aviation Administration says it received information from a “concerned party” saying a Cessna left the Pittsfield Municipal Airport in Massachusetts on Wednesday afternoon.

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This story has been corrected to show the plane left Massachusetts on Wednesday afternoon, not Wednesday evening.