The small single-engine Piper Saratoga (N3688W) was being piloted by Florida resident Greg Huggins to the city of Olive Branch in Mississippi when it disappeared from radars at around 7 am local time. Reports indicate that the aircraft ran out of gas and crashed in a forest near Carolina Road in Monroe County, Mississippi.
Itawamba County Sheriff Chris Dickinson told WTVA-TV that Huggins was able to contact 911 dispatchers shortly before 10 am local time. Despite search operations beginning at around 7 am local time, it was not until around noon that emergency teams were able to locate the wreckage.
Aerial searches in the region were not conducted for several hours because of poor visibility, and ground teams had difficulty locating the crash site because of the thick forest.
Huggins was rushed to Northeast Mississippi Medical Center where he was said to be in a critical condition as a result of a cut to the head. Nonetheless, authorities said he was able to remain conscious to call emergency numbers through his cell phone.
The plane was owned by Buccaneer Aviation of Wilmington, Delaware.
