FAA releases crash report

FRANKSTON – According to a Federal Aviation Administration report, the plane crash in Henderson County that left its pilot dead on Tuesday morning occurred “under unknown circumstances.” Around 8:45 a.m. on Tuesday, a small plane crashed in the Frankston neighborhood of Aero Estates, killing a man who was flying it. The Texas Department of Public Safety reports that the Fokker Dr.1 Dreidecker plane crashed close to a private airstrip within the community. The pilot was identified as Frankston-native Mark Whiddon by Henderson County Pct. 4 Justice of the Peace Milton Adams.

According to the FAA report, the fighter aircraft from World War I crashed due to unknown circumstances. After the crash, the aircraft caught fire. The pilot had recently been working on the aircraft and chose to take it out for an early morning flight because “the air is calm and it is easy to fly,” according to Lucas Wagenaar, president of the Aero Estates Property Owners Association and airport manager.