Missing 75-year-old pilot found dead after taking off in Indiana County

YOUNG TOWNSHIP, Pa. — State police say a pilot reported missing after taking off in a small plane in Indiana County has been found dead.

Troopers said David Edward Wittmer, 75, of Altoona, was flying an ultralight aircraft and practicing touch-and-go landings in a field near Church Street in Young Township. He reportedly took off from the field around 6 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. and did not return.

State troopers, members of the PSP Aviation Patrol Unit and local firefighters searched overnight and resumed searching again Thursday morning.

In an update, police say a volunteer pilot who was assisting with the aerial search found Wittmer’s plane crashed in a corn field along Coal Run Road in Young Township around 10:30 a.m.

A state police Aviation Patrol Unit member then confirmed the crash location and directed first responders to the scene. The plane crashed less than one mile away from where it took off.

First responders arrived at the crash site to find Wittmer dead, police say. His next of kin have been notified.

Jane Chronowski and her daughter were watching Wittmer just before he took off for the last time.

“He was one heck of a nice guy. Quiet, but he was wonderful,” said Chronowski. “He loved being up there on that hill. He would come and spend weeks.”

Police say no foul play is suspected, and the incident is being investigated as an accidental death.

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