March 1, 2018
(OCEAN CITY, MD) — Maryland State Police, along with local and federal agencies, recovered a body of a plane crash victim in Worcester County.
Shortly after 10 a.m. today, federal officials notified the Maryland State Police Special Operations Division that an aircraft believed to be a single-engine, four-passenger plane left Martin State Airport last night en route to Ocean City and had not yet returned. It is unknown for certain how many people were on board the plane. It was determined the aircraft was not at the Ocean City Airport.
A search of the area near the Ocean City Airport was initiated late this morning. The crew of Maryland State Police Aviation Command Trooper 4 and Civil Air Patrol personnel located what was described as an oil slick in the ocean, about 1.5 miles from the Ocean City Airport.
Rescue personnel are focusing their search on that area at this time. Although the aircraft has not been spotted, Natural Resources Police officers in the water near the oil slick have recovered debris believed to be associated with an aircraft.
Search efforts continued throughout the day. Just before 5 p.m. this evening, Maryland State Police, Natural Resources Police and the Coast Guard conducted side scanning operations in an underwater debris field. The debris field was located approximately 5 miles from the initial oil slick in the Atlantic Ocean.
Rescue personnel advised the aircraft was located in severely deteriorated conditions. A body was recovered from among the pieces of the plane. The body recovered was a male wearing the same clothing as described on the pilot who left Martin State Airport yesterday. The body will be transported to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore for autopsy.
Search efforts concluded at just before 6 p.m. this evening. Dive teams will resume searching for other passengers once the impending storm passes and the ocean conditions permit. The investigation continues.
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