Authorities Still Searching for Cause of South Carolina Plane Crash that Killed Jogger

Hilton Head, SCThe National Transportation Safety Board is still attempting to deduce the cause of a recent plane crash on a South Carolina beach that claimed the life of a jogger earlier this month.

span itemprop="image" itemscope itemtype="https://schema.org/ImageObject" style="display:block">Initial reports show that Edward Ivey Smith was piloting an amateur-built aircraft from Orlando Executive Airport towards Hampton Roads Executive Airport on March 15 when the vehicle lost engine power. Smith was forced to make an emergency crash landing on a nearby beach.

Just seconds before it crashed, the plane struck and killed Robert Gary Jones, 38, a pharmaceutical salesman vacationing in the area. The pilot and his passenger were not harmed in the incident.

Jones had been jogging along the beach while listening to his iPod - a factor which may have prevented him from hearing the plane.

"With his ear buds in, and the plane without an engine, you're basically a stealth aircraft," aviation expert Mary Schiavo told WVEC.com. "Who would expect to look up?"

The pilot had reported troubles with his engine to an air traffic controller at Hilton Head airport just prior to the crash, according to the Associated Press.