Man killed in aircraft crash in Santa Rosa Sound

GULF BREEZE — A Mississippi man was killed Monday when his ultralight aircraft crashed in the Santa Rosa Sound.

Midway Fire District Chief Jonathan Kanzigg said his department was dispatched at 11:59 a.m. to a call for a plane down in the water. The pilot, whose name has not been released, was pronounced dead at 12:21 p.m. after crews tried to revive him once he got to shore.

Witnesses told authorities that the aircraft nosedived suddenly into the water. A couple saw the crash from their boat and rushed to the scene, according to Kanzigg. The man jumped in the water, removed the pilot from the aircraft and got him into their boat.

Authorities arrived in a rescue boat and transported the victim to the Oriole Beach Boat Ramp, about 2 miles from where the accident occurred, Kanzigg said.

The crash is still under investigation, so it is unknown how the pilot died. Kanzigg said the pilot was submerged underwater for “some time” after initial impact.

State and local agencies assisting at the scene included Midway Fire District, Pensacola Fire Department, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, U.S. Coast Guard, Escambia County Sheriff's Office and Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s office.

This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Man killed in aircraft crash in Santa Rosa Sound