Pilot killed in small-plane crash off Marathon

A man was killed early Monday when his small plane crashed off Marathon on the Florida Keys, according to the Monroe Sheriff’s Office.

Edward Elgin, a 53-year-old pilot from Jupiter, was found amid the debris of his 1973 single-engine Piper about a mile offshore Marathon gulfside after midnight, said sheriff’s spokeswoman Deputy Becky Herrin.

The call came from a man who heard the crash, then got in his boat to find out what happened, Herrin said. Elgin was the only person aboard the plane.

Crews from the Coast Guard and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission responded to the site and found the sunken wreckage. The crash will be investigated by the Federal Aviation Administration.

This story was originally published August 10, 2015 at 5:55 AM with the headline "Pilot killed in small-plane crash off Marathon."