Plane crash in Rockbridge kills 1

SALEM -- The pilot of a single-engine plane that crashed yesterday reported losing an exterior panel shortly before the aircraft hit the ground, a Federal Aviation Administration spokesman said.

At least one person died in the crash, but National Transportation Safety Board investigator Todd Gunther declined to say how many people were aboard the airplane when it went down about 10 a.m. on a farm owned by Virginia Tech in Rockbridge County. The NTSB is leading the investigation.

Gunther declined to release the victim's identity or other details, though he said the aircraft had climbed to 32,000 feet from 26,000 feet before dropping off radar.

The flight originated at Teterboro Airport in New Jersey and was going to Tampa Executive Airport in Florida, FAA spokesman Jim Peters said.

"After the pilot reported losing the panel, he was going to Lynchburg Regional Airport," Peters said.

The plane was registered to Nicholas, Elliott & Jordan LLC, a company with a Tampa address. A working phone number for the company could not be located.

The plane was a Pilatus PC-12/45 turboprop, according to the FAA.