Airplane Missing Since April Is Found

Editorial Staff

Tuesday, October 21, 2014 at 12:00 AM ET

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Key Takeaways:

The wreckage of an airplane missing for over six months, a Sonex piloted by Theodore Weiss, 74, was found in dense woods in Marion County, Florida, by a hiker.
Skeletal remains were discovered in the cockpit, and the aircraft was found upside down with its engine detached, approximately five miles from its last departure airport.
Despite multiple searches by volunteers and helicopters over the six-month period, the wreckage was extremely difficult to spot due to the dense forest, even though it was only 300 yards from a state road.

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The wreckage of an airplane that was missing for more than six months has been found in Marion County, Florida, about five miles from the airport where it last took off, local news outlets have reported. Daryl Burns was hiking in dense woods on Sunday afternoon when he spotted the wreck. Skeletal remains were found in the cockpit, Burns told The Gainseville Sun. The airplane, a Sonex, was largely intact, but it was upside down, and the engine was detached. Pilot Theodore Weiss, 74, had departed from the Marion County Airport for Zephyrhills Municipal Airport on April 5.

Volunteers had searched the forested area multiple times since the crash, according to The Sun. The wreck site was only about 300 yards from a state road, but it was hard to spot among the oak trees. “Our helicopter had trouble finding it — even knowing where it was,” said Lauren Lettelier, spokesperson for the Marion County sheriff’s office. The wreckage has been removed.