A federal investigator is expected to arrive Wednesday at the scene of a game warden’s fatal plane crash in western Maine.
An investigator for the National Transportation Safety Board is expected to arrive Wednesday at the crash site in the Franklin County town of Avon, a spokesperson for the board told the Bangor Daily News.
The investigator will document the scene where Maine Warden Service pilot Joshua Tibbetts crashed around 10:50 a.m. Tuesday. Tibbetts, a 50-year-old veteran of the warden service, was helping fisheries officials stock waterways and flying solo before dying in the crash.
Information is limited this early in an investigation, the NTSB spokesperson said. Tibbetts was flying a Cessna A185F Skywagon and crashed into the woods under unknown circumstances. State officials were not aware of medical issues or a distress signal.
The federal agency will gather air traffic control communication, radar data, weather reports, witness statements and more, the board spokesperson said.
It is the first line-of-duty death for the warden service since 2011, when another pilot died after crashing onto a frozen lake. Tibbetts crashed as Gov. Janet Mills, lawmakers and police officials gathered at the annual observance at the Maine Law Enforcement Officers Memorial outside the State House in Augusta.
