CHARITON, Iowa (AP) – Authorities say a pilot has been found dead after the crash of his plane in south-central Iowa. The Lucas County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release Thursday that the plane went down in northwestern Lucas County. The release said the pilot was alone in the plane but did not provide other details, including the pilot’s name and the type of plane he was flying.

The Sheriff’s Office says it was advised Wednesday afternoon by air traffic control in Des Moines that radar contact with the private plane had been lost and that officials thought the plane was somewhere in Monroe County. Searches were conducted in Monroe County and adjacent Lucas County, and the plane wreckage was found around 5:30 p.m. in Lucas County.