Plane that took off from Waukesha County Airport crashes off East Coast
A plane that took off from Waukesha County Airport on Saturday afternoon has crashed into the Atlantic Ocean.
The plane was bound for Manassas Regional Airport in Virginia, according to a statement from the Federal Aviation Administration. It descended into the ocean around 3:17 p.m., about 50 miles southeast of Wallops Island, Va.
The pilot had stopped responding to radio calls around 1 p.m.
Air traffic controllers at the Federal Aviation Administration tracked the five-seat Cirrus SR20 with one person onboard through the restricted airspace around Washington, D.C., early Saturday afternoon, according to the FAA.
Coast Guard Petty Officer Nate Littlejohn says crews are searching for the plane. It crashed Saturday about 50 miles southeast of Chincoteague Island.
Littlejohn says the Coast Guard in Portsmouth was notified about 2:40 p.m. that the plane failed to land in Manassas.
Two Air Force jets confirmed the pilot was unconscious and stayed with the plane until it eventually ran out of fuel and crashed.
The plane was registered to Ronald Hutchinson of Brookfield. Relatives reached at a phone listing for him didn't want to comment Saturday night.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
