1 killed after small plane crashes into water on Maryland’s Eastern Shore
The pilot of a small plane died after his plane crashed into the water in Easton, Maryland, Tuesday morning, state authorities said.
The pilot, who was the only person on board the twin-engine Cessna 402, reported an engine failure before the crash, the Federal Aviation Administration said earlier.
State police identified the pilot as 56-year-old Robert Eugene Merlini, of Annapolis.
The plane took off from Tipton Airport at Fort Meade in Anne Arundel County shortly before 9 a.m. Tuesday, Maryland State Police said in a news release Tuesday afternoon. Police believe the pilot was headed to Easton Airport when he crashed into the Tred Avon River in Easton, which feeds into the Chesapeake Bay, shortly after 9:30 a.m.
Divers from the Anne Arundel County Fire Department recovered the pilot’s body from the water.
State police said the U.S. Coast Guard as well as authorities in Talbot County responded to the crash.
The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the crash.
Video footage from WTOP’s partners at 7News showed boats circling a point in the water shortly after the crash occurred.