FAYETTEVILLE -- A pilot who died Friday in a small-plane crash near Fayetteville appeared to have been preparing to land, investigators with the Washington County sheriff's office said.
Lewis Brant Barnes, 43, of Tontitown, was killed when his M35 fixed-wing, single-engine aircraft went down near North Smokey Bear Road in Washington County, the sheriff's office said in a post on its Facebook page Friday. Barnes was the only person in the aircraft when it crashed.
Sheriff's office spokeswoman Kelly Cantrell said Saturday that the aircraft crashed in a wooded area near 10501 N. Smokey Bear Road, which is east of Drake Field.
The sheriff's office said it was notified of the crash about 5:57 p.m. Friday, and deputies arrived on the scene about 6:03 p.m. and found the aircraft.
The Fayetteville Fire Department, Round Mountain Fire Department, Central EMS and the Washington County Coroner's Office also responded to the incident, the post states.
Cantrell said representatives from the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board had arrived at the crash site and would be taking over the investigation, with the sheriff's office assisting.