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Pilot killed in small plane crash on St. Simons Island identified

ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. — UPDATE 5/26/2019, 3:12 P.M.: The Glynn County Police Department said the pilot who died in a plane crash on St. Simons Island Saturday was 80-year-old Roger Crane from Bluffton, South Carolina.

Though the Cessna 182 single engine airplane has can carry up to four passengers, officials believe Crane was the only person on board.

The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board is at the crash site and has taken over the investigation of the crash.

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Original Story:

A pilot was killed after a small plane crashed in a wooded area north of the airport on St. Simons Island, according to police.

The plane was flying from Savannah to McKinnon St. Simons Island Airport. Fire rescue was called just before 9:30 a.m. after neighbors reported seeing it go down.

Police say firefighters found the Cessna 182 engulfed in flames. When they got the fire out, they found the pilot – the only person on the plane – dead.

Investigators took Action News Jax's Brittney Donovan to the crash site off Sinclair Plantation Drive.

Parts of the plane were tangled in tree branches, much of it unrecognizable.

Right now it's unclear what caused it to go down. The Federal Aviation Administration sent an investigator, and the National Transportation Safety Board is also working to learn what caused the crash.

Police have not yet identified the pilot.

Note: The FAA originally said four people were on board but later confirmed only the pilot was involved in the crash. 

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