Cessna Plane Crashes in Everglades, Pilot Presumed Dead

HOMESTEAD, FL — The wreckage of a Cessna 152, single engine aircraft was found in a swampy area seven miles west of Homestead on Thursday morning, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. The plane had been considered missing. A body was spotted near the wreckage by Miami-Dade County Fire Rescue's Air Rescue South unit on Wednesday night.

First responders were attempting to reach the crash site on Thursday morning in a portion of Florida National Everglades Park, according to detective Alvaro Zabaleta of the Miami-Dade Police Department. (Sign up for our free Daily Newsletters and Breaking News Alerts for the Miami Patch.)

"Only the pilot was on board," added Arlene Salac of the FAA in New York on Thursday morning "The FAA is at the scene to begin investigating."

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Salac said that the National Transportation Safety Board will determine a probable cause for the crash.

Zabaleta told Patch that first responders used air boats to reach the crash site. The aircraft was first reported missing by the plane's owner at about 10:19 p.m. on Wednesday night. It was housed at Miami Executive Airport.

"The owner of the plane reported that his plane was missing," Zabaleta explained. "Miami-Dade fire rescue went up and did an aerial search and found it."

While Miami-Dade Fire Rescue spotted the wreckage, first responders weren't able to send in a ground team until Thursday.

"When they flew over and found the wreckage they saw that there was a body adjacent to the plane," Zabaleta said. "It wasn't feasible to go out there last night. That's why they waited for sunlight."

Miami-Dade police are describing the scene as a death investigation. The pilot's name still had not been released as of late Thursday morning.

A news crew helicopter reported than at least one alligator could be seen around the wreckage.

File photo courtesy of Miami-Dade Fire Rescue