26-year-old pilot Melanie Georger lost her life in a single-engine plane crash on Saturday afternoon, as confirmed by the Niagara County Sheriff’s Office.
Niagara County Sheriff’s officials state that around 11:40 a.m. Saturday, 911 received a call about a small plane crash near Fort Niagara.
Niagara County Sheriff’s deputies, New York State Police, Town of Lewiston Police and New York State Park Police responded to the scene.
The Youngstown Volunteer Fire Company was also on hand to extinguish a fire at the site.
According to the Niagara County Sheriff’s Office, a single-engine Cessna 208B plane, owned by Skydive the Falls, had released all skydivers aboard and was heading back to land when it crashed.
The pilot, 26-year-old Melanie Georger was killed in the crash.
The NTSB has launched an official investigation.
The FAA issued a statement following the crash, saying:
“A single-engine Cessna 208B crashed near Lake Road in Youngstown, New York, around 12:50 p.m. local time on Saturday, July 20. The pilot, and only person on board, was conducting parachute operations. The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board will investigate. The NTSB will be in charge of the investigation and will provide any updates.”