Maine Game Warden Dies In Plane Crash Near Schoolhouse Pond

UPDATE: The Maine Game Warden who died in the crash has been identified as Joshua Tibbets, of New Gloucester. He has been a warden for 18 years.

Original story follows...

According to an article on the WGME website, a Maine Game Warden has died following a Tuesday morning plane crash.

The crash reportedly happened n the Franklin County town of Avon at about 11 AM on Tuesday morning.

According to the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife, the crash happened near Schoolhouse Pond. Authorities say the small aircraft went down in a wooded area, and the game warden who was piloting the plane was the only person onboard at the time. The warden was pronounced dead at the scene. Officials have not yet released the warden’s name pending family notification.

Emergency crews remained at the crash site Tuesday afternoon as investigators worked to determine what caused the aircraft to go down. Additional details about the incident have not yet been released.

The article goes on to explain that the tragedy marks another deadly aviation accident involving the Maine Warden Service. In 2011, Game Warden Daryl Gordon was killed when his plane crashed on Clear Lake in Piscataquis County. Earlier incidents include the 1972 helicopter crash on Maranacook Lake that claimed the life of Warden Dick Varney and a 1956 plane crash on the same lake that killed Warden George Townsend.