MARION COUNTY, Fla. — A plane crashed Tuesday morning in Marion County, a spokesperson for the sheriff’s office said.
The fatal crash was reported at 9:13 a.m. on 21850 Northwest 150 Avenue Road near Northwest Highway 320 in Williston.
Marion County Fire Rescue said crews arrived at the scene at 9:34 a.m. and found the pilot dead inside the experimental aircraft.
A homeowner called 911 after witnessing the plane crash in a nearby pasture, investigators said.
Rescuers said severe weather hampered their response to the crash site. The plane went down during the severe weather, but it's unclear at this time if the weather played a role in the crash.
"We had a severe tornado warning this morning and those were the conditions we were dealing with this morning," said Lauren Lettelier of the Marion County Sheriff's Office.
The FAA is investigating the crash.
The pilot took off from Sebring, Florida, but it's not clear where he was going, deputies said.
Channel 9 checked the tail number of the plane and the aircraft is registered to Riley Stevens from South Carolina.
Check back on wftv.com for updates.
Watch video below of the crash site:
Officials just gave us an update. They say there was only one person aboard, the experimental aircraft. #WFTV pic.twitter.com/CGDBSyvhQ0
— Myrt Price (@MPriceWFTV) April 4, 2017
Marion County Crime scene investigators are here at the scene of the crash. #WFTV pic.twitter.com/3eJGmPleIi
— Myrt Price (@MPriceWFTV) April 4, 2017
There is debris from the plane scattered around the field, where it crashed. #WFTV pic.twitter.com/ekW9lU9HEK
— Myrt Price (@MPriceWFTV) April 4, 2017
The Marion County Sheriffs Office told us, the plane went down during a severe thunderstorm. #WFTV pic.twitter.com/I2c7gwyU3E
— Myrt Price (@MPriceWFTV) April 4, 2017
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