A man piloting an ultra-light

aircraft died after his small craft crashed into the top of a pine tree

on heavily wooded family land in western Tyrone midday Tuesday.

Identification of the victim

was withheld pending notification of next of kin, although some family

members were present at the crash site during the rescue attempt. Details

of the crash were sketchy at press time.

The plane was hanging 40 feet

off the ground from a pine tree off Laurelwood Drive, near the Coweta

County line, said Captain Pete Nelms of the Fayette County Fire and Emergency

Services.

With few options, the decision

was first made to cut the tree down to reach the pilot, Nelms said. That

approach was abandoned as rescuers ­ including an employee of a private

tree service were able to scale the tree and reach the "unresponsive"

pilot.

The crash was reported to 911

at noon by a relative of the pilot who saw it disappear from the skyline

and heard a noise.

It took less than a half-hour

to find the plane with assistance from a helicopter of Phoenix Air Care.

Officers from the Tyrone Police Department and the Fayette County Sheriff's

Department also aided in the search.

An ultra-light aircraft normally

doesn't require a Federal Aviation Administration-issued pilot's license.

It typically uses a small motor and simple controls.