Feb. 1 (UPI) -- The crash of a small plane in Rusk County, Texas, killed the pilot, the county office of emergency management said.
Federal Aviation Administration officials said they believe the Cessna aircraft struck a cellphone tower with its tail and then crashed into trees on Tuesday afternoon in the town of Price, near the city of Tyler. They added the unidentified pilot was the only person aboard.
"Everything was burned real bad," said David Chenault of the Rusk County Office of Emergency Management. "The plane was on fire. It was a crumpled mess. There's not a whole lot of it left."
Chenault added it is unknown where the plane was headed.
Witnesses said the plane fell "straight down" after spinning in the air, then exploded and caught fire, the Longview News-Journal reported.
Firefighters from the town of Carlisle, the Rusk County Sheriff's Office and the Texas Department of Public Safety arrived at the scene immediately after the accident, sheriff's office spokesman David Roberts said.
