NTSB: Small plane found but not confirmed as plane in Monday's crash

Authorities searching for 2 people find small plane in Brunswick marsh

BRUNSWICK, Ga. – Wednesday morning, officials with the Department of Natural Resources and the National Transportation Safety Board will fish a plane out of a Brunswick marsh, but haven't confirmed if it's the same plane that vanished from radar Monday night.

DNR said it's going to have to bring in special equipment to bring the plane up.

"I went down to the site there and was watching wildlife officers and state police and the sheriff coordinating. Trying to get in there, that's the trouble getting across the marsh. They were going to try to use the airboat but that didn't work out so they had to bring in the Coast Guard helicopter who went in and they found some of the bigger pieces," said Tom Boland who lives near the crash site.

Tom Boland is anxious after the news that a plane was found in the marshy area close to his Brunswick home.

This comes a day after a small two-engine Piper PA-44 Seminole aircraft crashed Monday evening.

RELATED: Search continues for small plane

Officials have not confirmed if the plane found is the same plane that crashed, but some people living in the area described hearing the crash Monday night.

"It's sad but in a way, you think how hard it was for them to find this plane where they knew just about where it went down, versus the Malaysian Airlines where they're searching thousands of square miles. Just this plane was hard for them to find. It's a tragedy," said Boland.

Rescue crews and helicopters searched late Monday night and most of the day Tuesday. At a news conference, the National Transportation Safety Board said crews have only been able to pull out small pieces of wreckage and they'll have to wait for daylight to use special equipment to further recovery.

"Once that all comes up to the surface, we'll be able to positively identify the aircraft," said Shawn Ethcer, with the NTSB. "If there are victims there, the medical examiners and Coroner's Office will begin the identification process on the victims."

The NTSB is going to take the wreckage recovered to Atlanta, so they can lay it all out and determine what caused the plane to crash. So far, they've found parts of the battery, some baggage and some exterier and interior pieces.

The NTSB is expected to give another news briefing Wednesday. The NTSB will release a preliminary report on the crash soon, then a detailed report will take six months to a year to be completed and released.


About the Authors:

Ashley Harding joined the Channel 4 news team in March 2013. She reports for and anchors The Morning Show.