Maine game warden dies in plane crash in Franklin County town of Avon, officials say

The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife announced that a game warden died in a plane crash in the Franklin County town of Avon.Officials said a Maine Warden Service plane crashed near Schoolhouse Pond at about 11 a.m. Tuesday.Franklin County Sheriff's deputies and Franklin County Emergency Services personnel responded to the scene and confirmed that a Maine game warden died in the crash.The game warden was the only person in the plane at the time of the crash, officials said."We are heartbroken," the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife said in a statement shared on social media. "This is a devastating loss for the Maine Warden Service, our Department, and the people of Maine. Our thoughts are with the family, loved ones, colleagues, and all those impacted by this tragedy."The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said the plane involved in the crash was a Cessna 185F.Use the interactive map below to see where the crash happened. A witness told Maine's Total Coverage reporter Jackie Mundry that winds in the area were very strong at the time of the plane crash."You definitely could feel the wind and you could see the trees were bending," the witness said. " definitely looked like it was fighting against the wind and was not in very good control, because it was teetering back and forth and it was very, very low to the mountains."Watch part of the interview in the YouTube video embedded below.The FAA said it will investigate the plane crash with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), which will be in charge of the investigation.The Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife said emergency personnel were still at the scene shortly after 1 p.m.