MILO, N.Y. -- One man is dead following a plane crash in Yates County. The pilot has been identified as Steven Seely of Stanley, Ontario County.
The crash happened at the Penn Yan/ Yates County Airport just before noon on Sunday. Reports from the Yates County Sheriff's office indicate Seely was practicing his take offs and landings when a fatal crash happened.
"We responded with sheriff deputies, EMS, and the fire department. We found an older model single engine Cessna plane had nose dived and spun around. The tail went up against the fence and the tree line at the airport,” explained Yates County Sheriff Ron Spike.
He said the pilot was taking off southbound on the main runway and veered off hitting the ground hard with the plane’s nose.
"Witnesses at a nearby golf course told us they saw the plane didn't get any higher than 100 feet off the ground before it came back down and veered off," he continued.
Investigators with the Federal Aviation Administration were on scene Sunday afternoon surveying the wreckage. The NTSB is investigating probable cause. Sheriff Spike said they aren’t sure if the pilot had a medical condition or if mechanical failure was a factor.
Seely was a member of the Penn Yan Flying Club, where he owned his own Cessna single engine plane. He also had a student pilot license. The pilot was the owner of Seely Engine Machine Business in Ontario County.
The investigation into his death continues, while the runway at the Penn Yan airport remains closed as an on scene investigation continues through Monday.