EASTON, MD - A pilot was killed this morning when his twin-engine plane crashed into the Tred Avon River near Easton, Maryland.
The Maryland State Police reported that the aircraft took off from Tipton Airport in Fort Meade, Maryland, just before 9 a.m. and was en route to Easton Airport. According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the crash occurred around 9:30 a.m. after the pilot reported engine failure. No passengers were on board.
With a closer look after the plane crashed, the tail of the plane was seen protruding from the water. The pilot has been identified as 56-year-old Robert Merlini of Annapolis.
The search, recovery, and investigation efforts, which lasted for hours, involved crews from multiple agencies including the Anne Arundel Fire Department Dive Team, the Coast Guard, the Department of Natural Resources, and various departments from Caroline, Talbot, and Dorchester counties. The University Research Foundation, which owned the plane, stated that it had been used for research sampling for 30 years. The plane's president, Eric Heidhausen, shared that Merlini was a consultant who had flown with the foundation during the COVID-19 pandemic for atmospheric sampling missions.
"This mission was to relocate the airplane from our hangar at Fort Meade's Tipton Airport to Easton. So this was a ferry flight," Heidhausen explained.
Christine Marvel, an Easton resident, recounted witnessing the plane's distressing flight.
"I heard the plane come over the trees, sputtering, and then it was just kind of coasting super quiet. I was impressed with the pilot because there was no erratic movement. It was just moving, and then the engine started sputtering again like he was trying to get it to start," Marvel said.
Elena Russo, a spokesperson for the Maryland State Police, mentioned that the exact cause of the crash is still unknown.
"Our investigators will work with the NTSB and FAA to comb through 911 calls from witnesses and any communication between the pilot and control systems to determine what happened. Was it something with the plane, or was it something with the pilot?" Russo said.
As the investigation continues, many questions remain unanswered.
By 6 p.m., the Maryland State Police told WBOC that they were pulling the plane out of the water, after which it will be moved to another location for further testing with their investigators and the FAA.