A Piper PA-46 Turbo Prop plane crashed near Lakeside Drive and Lakeside Court in Milton late Sunday night. The Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office says the pilot of the plane contacted the FAA Atlanta Center about an in-flight emergency sometime before the crash. The plane, which originated from Anderson Municipality Airport in Indiana, was heading to Destin, Florida.
According to the Sheriff's Office, when the plane was just southwest of Birmingham, the pilot said the windshield imploded and he was bleeding severely. An attempt was made to divert the pilot to the airport in Pell City, Alabama. The pilot did not respond to radio calls from the Atlanta Center.
In a news release, the Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office indicated the plane appeared to be put into autopilot. Military jets were sent to intercept the plane. Pilots spotted the plane near NAS Whiting Field. Jets were deployed to light up the plane as it was flying. Military pilots then noticed the door to the plane was open and the cockpit was dark.
The jets followed the plane until it crashed in a swampy, wooded area near the Blackwater River off Lakeside Drive.
Crews from the fire departments in East Milton, Milton, Skyline and Bagdad joined the Santa Rosa Sheriff's Office, Coast Guard, Lifeguard Ambulance Service, the Highway Patrol and FWC in the area and were able to locate the plane wreckage.
Helicopters, planes, boats and dogs were used to search the area around the crash site. The pilot was not found.
Investigators with the FAA and the NTSB are expected to arrive in Milton around lunchtime on Monday.
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