A Polk County, Ark., man died Wednesday when the aircraft he was piloting crashed in a wooded area of rural Southwest Jefferson County near the Grant County line in Arkansas, according to state police.
Arkansas State Police troopers responded to a call of a downed aircraft about 5 p.m., and the initial report indicated the aircraft was a small, single-engine plane, said Bill Sadler, ASP spokesman.
Phillip Sloan, 66, of Mena was pronounced dead at the scene, Sadler said.
A passenger in the aircraft, Ross Goodner, 19, of Boles, Ark., was injured in the crash and was taken by ambulance to a Pine Bluff hospital, where he was admitted in stable condition, according to police.
ASP secured the crash scene, which is inside a clear-cut area of the timberland. The Federal Aviation Administration will coordinate the investigation to determine the manner and cause of the crash, Sadler said.