Plane crash near Morgan kills experienced pilot

MORGAN — A lone pilot flying from Morgan to Logan was killed Thursday when his plane crashed shortly after takeoff.

Morgan County sheriff's deputy Tyler Gross said the plane went down about five miles away from the Morgan airport in a remote mountainous area riddled with canyons. The pilot, identified as 50-year-old Darren Tidwell, was declared dead at the scene.

The plane left Morgan at 6:30 a.m. en route to Logan but never arrived, Gross said. Family members called authorities about 4 p.m. to report the pilot was overdue, and friends of the man were searching by air.

The wreckage was spotted by a local Morgan pilot, Gross said. The man, who was said to be a skilled pilot, was alone in the small plane.

"He was a very experienced pilot, military experience and private experience," Gross said.

Authorities had not received a distress call prior to the family contacting them, Gross said. The investigation is ongoing and it is still unclear what caused the plane to crash.

— McKenzie Romero, Twitter: @McKenzieRomero