UPDATE: Florida man on way to Ohio dies in plane crash

UPDATE POSTED 8 P.M. MAY 25, 2021

BREATHITT COUNTY, Ky. (WTVQ) – A 62-year-old Florida man on his way to Ohio has been identified as the man who died in a fiery plane crash Monday afternoon in Breathitt County.

According to the Kentucky State Police, Timothy Michael Pankiewicz, of Green Cove Springs, Fla., died in the crash. Troopers and federal investigators said the flight originated in Florida with a destination of Ohio.

The KSP said troopers got a call at 1:34 p.m. Monday that an aircraft had crashed into a field and was currently on fire. The caller reported the aircraft down near the intersection of KY-1812 and KY-378.

Troopers along with Fire Department personnel responded to the scene and located the downed aircraft fully engulfed in flames. Firefighters were able to extinguish those flames.

Post 13, contacted the Federal Aviation Administration and notified them of the incident. Detectives responded to the scene and initiated an investigation. The Breathitt County Coroner’s Office responded to the scene and declared one person. The remains were removed and sent to the Medical Examiner’s Office for an autopsy.

On Tuesday, the FAA along with NTSB, revealed the details of the flight and the pilot.

This incident remains under investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board. The cause of the accident is still unknown at this time.

ORIGINAL STORY POSTED 5:05 P.M. MAY 24, 2021

BREATHITT COUNTY, Ky. (WTVQ) – A pilot may have been trying to land his Vans RV-* single-engine plane in a field in rural Breathitt County Monday afternoon when it crashed, apparently killing him, according to law enforcement and first responders.

The crash happened at about 1:30 p.m. in a field near the intersection of Highways 1812 and 378 north of Jackson near the Sewell and Vancleave communities near Frozen Creek, according to state Trooper Matt Gayheart.

When emergency crews arrived, the small plane was fully engulfed in flames. First responders remain on the scene awaiting the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board. The identity of the pilot and the plane’s owner have not been released.

The pilot was the only one on board, according to the FAA.

Gayheart said communication was lost with the pilot prior to the crash so investigators aren’t yet sure what might have caused the crash or led to the pilot’s problems leading up to the crash.

Investigators still are determining from where the plane took off and where it was going.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will release the tail number of the aircraft after investigators verify it at the accident site. The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board will investigate. Neither agency identifies people involved in aircraft accidents or incidents, the FAA said in a statement.

The Van’s RV-8 is a tandem two-seat, single-engine, low-wing homebuilt aircraft sold in kit form by Van’s Aircraft.