On Tuesday at about 5:48 p.m. the Upshur County Sheriff Office received a 911 call about a plane crash near the Gilmer airport from the pilot of the downed plane, Sheriff Anthony Betterton said.
Deputies were sent to a heavily wooded area south of Fox Stephens Field (Gilmer airport) in an attempt to locate the plane, a 2001 Cessna Dragonfly.
Assisting in the search were the Gilmer Fire Department, Gilmer Police Department, Department of Public Safety, East Texas Medical Center EMS and ETMC helicopter.
The pilot who called 911 was able to direct the ETMC helicopter over the crash location, which enabled deputies and Gilmer firefighters to locate the plane.
The aircraft was located in a dense wooded area south of the Gilmer airport and west of Tranquil Rd.
Both the pilot and copilot were taken by ETMC EMS to East Texas Medical Center in Tyler to be treated for minor injuries.
The Upshur County Sheriff’s Office secured the crash site overnight, until the Federal Aviation Administration investigators arrived, Sheriff Betterton said.
The Texas Department of Public Safety and the Federal Aviation Administration are investigating the crash.
Investigators say it could take weeks or months to determine the cause of the crash. The plane is reported registered to a Milwaukie, Ore. man.
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