Two people have been presumed dead after a small single-engine aircraft crashed into the waters off the coast of Florida, officials said Thursday.
National Transportation Safety Board investigator Butch Wilson during a press conference said a flight instructor and a flight student have been presumed dead after their 2008 Cessna 172 aircraft crashed around 150 yards off Bethune Beach Wednesday evening.
The small plane took off from Daytona Beach International Airport and entered a common training area south of New Smyrna Beach to perform a series of maneuvers when the plane went down.
During search and rescue efforts, a pilot’s log book and wallet were found, but neither the pilot or student were named, although their flight school, Phoenix East Aviation of Daytona Beach, said they were both from Norway.