One person has been confirmed dead after a small aircraft crashed into Eagle Mountain Lake in Fort Worth on Monday afternoon.
According to the Tarrant Water Regional District, which is leading the investigation, the victim was an adult male and the sole occupant of the plane. Authorities have not yet released the identity of the pilot.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed that the aircraft involved was a single-engine Champion 7EC, which went down in the lake at approximately 12:40 p.m. The Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office also responded to the scene on the north-central side of the lake.
Texas Sky Ranger captured aerial footage of the wreckage, showing the aircraft partially submerged in the water as divers worked around the site. Recovery efforts have been hampered by the condition of the damaged plane, and crews are continuing their efforts to retrieve the body.
Surveillance footage from a nearby residence, obtained by NBC 5, revealed the moments leading up to the crash. The video shows the plane rapidly descending before impacting the water.
Former pilot and local resident John Goggans, who trained on the same type of aircraft, expressed his surprise over the crash, noting that weather conditions were not an apparent factor. It could have been an engine failure or a medical condition for the pilot,” Goggans speculated. Other than that, I don’t know any reason why it would hit the water, other than poor judgment.
The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will conduct a full investigation into the cause of the crash. Further details, including the origin and destination of the flight, have not yet been released.
