Pilot of Small Plane in Florida Panhandle Crash Spotted Alive

Published January 14, 2015

A man who allegedly parachuted from his small plane 225 miles from where it crashed in the Florida panhandle on Sunday has been spotted alive.

The pilot, identified as Marc Schrenker, was taken to a hotel in Childersburg, Ala., by a police officer after the 38-year-old man told officials he'd been in a canoeing accident, WALA-TV said.

The officer was unaware at the time that a single-engine Piper Malibu had crashed in a swampy area near Milton, Fla. The plane crashed at about 9:20 p.m. CST.

Kathleen Bergen, a spokeswoman for the Federal Aviation Administration, told FOXNews.com that the pilot had sent a distress call at about 7:20 p.m. CST. Controllers lost communication with the plane, though it remained on radar continuing toward its destination.

"A careful review of the radar data, coupled with other information we received from other sources, indicate that it appears that he may have exited the aircraft at some point in the flight," Bergen told FOXNews.com.

Schrenker reported severe turbulence while flying over Huntsville, Ala., Sgt. Scott Haines of the Santa Rosa Sheriff's Department, told FOXNews.com.

The pilot said "that his windshield had imploded and that he was bleeding profusely and that he was requesting all emergency personnel to assist," Haines told FOXNews.com.

Investigators found the plane upside down, with the door ajar and no evidence of blood.

Schrenker apparently paid for his hotel room in cash, checking in under a false name, WALA-TV said. He fled into a wooded area near the hotel, police said.

The plane, which was registered to Indianapolis-based Heritage Aircraft LLC, was bound for Destin, Fla. It had taken off Sunday from Anderson, Ind.

FOXNews.com's Sara Bonisteel contributed to this report.

URL

https://www.foxnews.com/story/pilot-of-small-plane-in-florida-panhandle-crash-spotted-alive