MARION COUNTY, Fla. — A passerby walking through the woods at the Pruitt Trailhead found the site of a plane crash, along with skeletal remains, the Marion County Sheriff's Office said Monday.
Authorities said the plane was last piloted by Theodore Weiss, who was reported missing, along with his plane, on April 5.
"I don't think if we were looking for it, that we would have found it like that by air," said Lauren Lettelier with the Sheriff's Office.
Authorities said they have not yet confirmed that the remains that were found were Weiss'.
"There's a lot of things scattered in this wooded area. At this time we're trying to piece together how this happened," said Lettelier.
Weiss was last seen departing from the Dunnellon airport on April 5 and never arrived at his intended destination in Zephyrhills.
"It looks like he just went down as soon as he took off," said Lettelier.
The plane was found Sunday night was a white, experimental-type, two seat, low-wing aircraft with a green stripe and "N229P" on the tail section. Investigators have confirmed that the plane belonged to Weiss.
"We know it's the plane that went missing," said Lettelier.
When Weiss was reported missing, dozens of agencies participated in the search, which extended through 41,000 acres of forest area between the Dunnellon airport and Zephyrhills.
The Federal Aviation Administration have been notified and are investigating. Officials said it could take some time before the plane's wreckage is cleaned up.
WFTV
