Discovery
On October 16, 1999, at approximately 1030 hours, a Martin County Sheriff Department Detective was called to an airport and observed a crashed airplane. No damage to the hangar doors was noted.
Owner's Account
The owner reported last seeing the airplane on October 14, 1999, and stated that no one had permission to fly it. He had flown commercially from Florida to Michigan that day, one day earlier than scheduled, due to adverse weather. The owner also stated that his medical certificate was being reviewed by the FAA in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
The owner's brother paid for hangar rental from September 22 to October 15, with no arrangements made beyond that date. Both the owner and his brother refused to take polygraph tests when requested by representatives of the Martin County Sheriff Department.
Investigation Details
On October 14, 1999, one ELT signal was received by one ground station. The ground station calculated the source of the ELT signal to be located from one of two positions, one of which was determined to be 34 nautical miles at 046 degrees from the Indiantown Airport. The aircraft keys were found in the back seat. The ELT was found in the 'off' position and out of its bracket.