Authorities ID Pilot Killed In Plane Crash On MD's Eastern Shore

Updated 11:05 a.m. Friday

TALBOT COUNTY, MD — An Annapolis man died when the plane he was piloting crashed into the Tred Avon River in Talbot County on Tuesday, according to state police. The flight was tied to environmental research during the recent heatwave.

Robert Eugene Merlini, 56, of Annapolis was piloting a twin-engine Cessna 402 when it crashed into the river near Easton, according to Maryland State Police. Authorities said the plane took off from Tipton Airport at Fort Meade around 9 a.m. and was headed to Easton Airport when the crash occurred.

Troopers were called to the scene near the 6800 block of Travelers Rest Circle after witnesses called 911 to report the crash.

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The University Research Foundation owned the Cessna flown by Merlini and contained equipment from the University of Maryland as it monitored the Chesapeake Bay, WJZ reported.

"Today is a really sad day for the aviation community, but also the scientific community," said David Abrams, from the Maryland Department of the Environment, in a statement. "This aircraft is used for very important scientific work to determine when we're having heat waves like this to ascertain all the data and all the factors that go into it and make decisions about public policy and public health."

Based in Greenbelt, the University Research Foundation is the home of the Maryland Advanced Development Laboratory.

Divers from the Anne Arundel County Fire Department also responded and recovered Merlini from the water, state police said. He was declared dead at the scene.

According to a WJLA report citing the Federal Aviation Administration, the crash was caused by engine failure and the pilot was the only person in the plane at the time of the crash.

The Maryland Natural Resources Police Underwater Operations Team and other teams from Queen Anne’s, Dorchester, and Talbot counties assisted in the search, police said.

The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation. NTSB spokesman Peter C. Knudson told the Washington Post that once the airplane is recovered from the water, it will be moved to a secure facility for further evaluation. A preliminary report is expected within 30 days.