NEW SMYRNA BEACH --
A woman was killed Tuesday night after a plane crashed into the water off New Smyrna Beach near the Flagler Avenue approach.
The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office said the single-engine Cessna 152 crashed about 20 feet offshore into the ocean surf.
The Sheriff's Office says the woman, whose name has not been released, was the only person on board. Her body was recovered from the ocean. The Volusia County Medical Examiner’s Office is conducting an autopsy.
Witnesses say there was rain, fog and wind at the time of the crash.
"We were just standing, getting ready to leave to go pick up a friend and I heard what I thought was a propeller, a backfire of what I thought was a car, and then a big loud boom," said witness Joseph Richenberg.
Deputies said they believe the took off from the Massey Ranch Airpark in Edgewater.
The Sheriff's Office says right before the crash, the Daytona Beach tower got a final radar hit from the plane as it was about a quarter-mile offshore and turning back towards the beach.
Investigators said the pilot contacted the tower and told them she was having difficulty navigating through the weather and was trying to find the nearest airport to land the plane.
The plane is owned by
Flight Time Building in Edgewater. An employee at the aircraft instructional company says the female victim had just signed on with the company and wasn't permitted to fly the plane by herself.
According to the company, the victim was a commercial-rated pilot, but was still looking to build up time in the air.
The
Federal Aviation Administration and the
National Transportation Safety Board are both investigating the crash.