A plane crash in Avon, Maine, on Tuesday morning resulted in the death of a game warden, the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife (MDIFW) said.
In a statement to social media, the MDIFW said it was “heartbroken” to share news of the crash, which it said happened near Schoolhouse Pond in Avon, Maine. It said the crash occurred around 11 a.m. EDT and later identified the victim as Maine Warden Service pilot Joshua Tibbetts, 50, per WMTW-TV in Portland, Maine.
“This is a devastating loss for the Maine Warden Service, our department, and the people of Maine,” the MDIFW said. “Our thoughts are with the family, loved ones, colleagues, and all those impacted by this tragedy. We will share additional information as it becomes available.”
The FAA identified the airplane as a Cessna 185F Skywagon and told FLYING it crashed in the woods near the pond around 11:45 a.m. EDT. Only Tibbetts was on board.
The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will investigate.
A witness told WMTW-TV that the Skywagon was “teetering back and forth” and “looked like it was fighting against the wind and was not in very good control.”
Other witnesses told the Bangor Daily News that the plane crashed into a mountain after swaying side to side in heavy winds. One of them said they lost sight of the plane after looking back at the road and knew that “something was definitely wrong.” The witnesses reported no explosions or smoke.
“I have been briefed on the tragic plane crash in Avon that claimed the life of a Maine game warden,” Maine Governor Janet Mills said in a statement Tuesday afternoon, adding that MDIFW will later provide updates. “My heart is with the warden’s family and loved ones, their colleagues at the Maine Warden Service, and all affected by this tragedy.”
In January, a Bombardier Challenger 650 carrying six people crashed as it was departing Maine’s Bangor International Airport (KBGR), killing all four passengers and two pilots. It was the state’s deadliest aviation incident since the crash of Bar Harbor Airlines Flight 1808 in 1985. The NTSB in March released a preliminary report indicating that the Challenger stayed on the ground too long after its deicing treatment.
The FAA in February also opened an investigation into the “nose-over” of a Piper PA-18 that landed on a frozen lake in Otisfield, Maine. Only a pilot was on board.
