HOLT, Fla., Oct. 19, 2018–The pilot of a single-engine aircraft died today when his plane cashed in Holt.

A 911 call came shortly after 10 a.m. from a witness who said he saw a plane flying over his property with a “stuttering” engine.

An Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office release stated the pilot reportedly took off from George T. McCutchan Airfield in Santa Rosa County around 9:30 a.m.

Witnesses here say they saw a plane flying low around 10 a.m. and heard its engine shut off and come back on. One witness said he saw the small aircraft go down somewhere north of U.S. 90, according to the release.

First responders were searching the area when a resident of Joseph Cook Road reported he had located the aircraft in trees south of his property.

Emergency responders reported to the crash site north of U.S. 90 in the wooded area between Kelly Mill Road and north Cooper Lane.

Bowers Fly Baby experimental aircraft

The pilot, who died at the scene, was the only person on board a home-built, fixed-wing experimental aircraft called a Bowers Fly Baby built in 2008. The Fly Baby is an open-cockpit, single-seat, wood and fabric low-wing monoplane.

The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the fatal crash.

Further information will be released after the next of kin has been notified.

Stephanie Holcombe