FOLEY – The pilot of a small aircraft died Monday afternoon when the gyroplane he was flying crashed at the Foley Municipal Airport.
Foley Fire Chief Joey Darby said the pilot was the only occupant of the two-seat aircraft.
“This afternoon, at approximately 1:33 p.m., Foley fire and supporting units were dispatched to an aircraft crash here at the Foley Municipal Airport involving a single aircraft that had crashed and was on fire,” Darby said. “We arrived on scene to find the crash located about midway down the airport runway.”
Darby said the aircraft’s occupant appeared to have died immediately in the crash. The pilot was a 67-year-old man who often flew from the airport. The victim’s name was not released Monday.
The chief said the cause of the accident is under investigation. The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board will be conducting the investigation.
He said the airport will remain closed while the accident is under investigation. That process could take two or three days.
“And, of course, we’ll have to make sure that there’s no damage to the airport runway itself,” Darby said. “So there are a lot of processes there to make sure that we get open, but officially it has been closed.”
The Baldwin County Coroner’s Office is also conducting an inquiry into the cause of death.
“We’re just working with all those agencies to make sure that we do this in the right manner, but in the most respectful manner as we can,” Darby said. “Obviously, there’s a victim here. There’s a family here involved. Our thoughts and prayers go out to all of them.”