A Michigan couple was found dead in a single-engine airplane that crashed in the woods near Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport near Panama City on Tuesday night, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
The plane, a single-engine Cessna 182, was found in a densely wooded area approximately one mile from the northbound runway at the airport. The two people aboard the aircraft were found deceased on Wednesday morning. They were identified by the Bay County Sheriff’s Office as Donald and Diane Slattery, a married couple.
The plane originally departed from Midland, Michigan, and made a stop in McMinnville, Tennessee before departing for Florida.
A press release was sent out by the Bay County Sheriff’s Office around 10:30 p.m. on Tuesday that a search was underway for a single-engine Cessna airplane that disappeared around 7 p.m. Another release was sent out around 8:30 a.m. Wednesday morning that the plane had been found. Law enforcement agencies were able to locate the plane using drones.
The investigation will now be handled by the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board.
