Photo: Getty Images
In western Kentucky, search crews have made a truly tragic discovery. Two bodies were discovered during the search for missing pilots.
The Ohio County Sheriff's Office reported that a plane had gone missing shortly before 11 p.m. on Wednesday. The aircraft was on its way from Bowling Green to Owensboro when it lost contact with the tower.
The disappearance occurred during a severe thunderstorm, leading authorities to suspect that the plane may have crashed into a heavily wooded area near Whitesville, which was later confirmed to be off KY 764.
Search efforts commenced on Thursday, with units scouring the area on foot and from the air. Unfortunately, at around 10:30 a.m., the bodies of the two individuals on board were confirmed to have been found.
The Ohio County Coroner's Office identified the victims as 22-year-old Timothy McKellar of Custer and 18-year-old Connor Quisenberry of Beaver Dam.
McKellar served as the pilot, while Quisenberry was a flight student training under him.
Autopsies for both individuals are scheduled for Friday.
This devastating incident is drawing attention to the importance of identifying risks associated with flying during adverse weather conditions as well as how to lessen the chance of accidents occurring as a result of them.