Pilot identified in fatal Eagle Mountain Lake plane crash
NORTH TEXAS – The Tarrant County Medical Examiner's Office has identified the pilot who died when his plane plummeted into Eagle Mountain Lake earlier this week.
Stephen Lee Spence, 60, of North Richland Hills, was killed when the single-engine Champion model 7EC that he was flying went down at 12:40 p.m. Monday.
The incident has been ruled accidental.
The Tarrant Regional Water District said the plane crashed at the north end of the lake near Indian Creek Slough, with one person onboard.
Fort Worth Fire Department divers recovered the body of the pilot, but TRWD noted that the plane was too damaged to remove the body at that time.
CBS News Texas Chopper captured footage of the mostly submerged small plane, with the tail number visible from the air, identifying the plane's owner as a North Richland Hills man.
Multiple agencies assisted in the response, including Tarrant Regional Water law enforcement, Eagle Mountain Fire and EMS, Fort Worth Fire, the Tarrant County Sheriff's Office, and Texas Parks and Wildlife.
The National Transportation Safety Board and the FAA are investigating the crash.