Pilot in Milton plane crash is alive

Update: Authorities say the pilot who allegedly abandoned his plane in mid-air is alive. After parachuting out of his plane over Harpersville, Marc Schrenker, 38, contacted an officer at a store in Childersburg and said that he had been in a canoeing accident with some friends.

The officer identified Schrenker by means of an Indiana Drivers License. Officers in that jurisdiction were unaware of the plane crash incident at that time and took the subject to a nearby hotel in Harpersville, AL.

After hearing about the airplane crash, Childersburg Police Department contacted Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office deputies and confirmed that Schrenker was taken to a hotel in Harpersville. Schrenker checked into the hotel under a fictitious name. When authorities entered Schrenker's room he was not there. Investigators say, after Schrenker paid for his room with cash, he put on a black toboggan cap and ran into the woods located next to the hotel.

Update: The Santa Rosa Sheriff's Office has confirmed the pilot who parachuted out of a failing plane has been found alive. He has has been identified as Marc Schrenker. Authorities say he parachuted out of the plane over Harpersville, Alabama.

The plane crashed late Sunday night in a marshy area of East Milton. The pilot had radioed in a distress call near Birmingham, before losing communication with air traffic controllers.

The FAA believes the Schrenker could have parachuted out of the plane just past Birmingham. The question is, if that happened, why did he put the plane on auto-pilot and parachute out instead of trying to land.

Schrenker's 6 seater plane went down late Sunday night in a marshy area of East Milton. He had radioed in a distress call before losing communication with air traffic controllers. Military jets were called in to help. The pilots saw the plane as it went down.

The plane was a single engine, 6 seater Piper PA46. The crash was reported at 9:15 p.m.

The wreckage of the plane was found about 100 yards behind a residence on Lakeside Drive in East Milton. The plane crashed into a wooded, swampy area.

A search for the pilot began immediately. Helicopters, other aircraft, boats, and dogs were all used in the search.

The plane was enroute from Indiana to Destin, Florida.

Schrenker radioed for help near Birmingham, Alabama. His distress call said his windshield had imploded and he had severe bleeding.

Air Traffic Controllers in Atlanta tried to radio the pilot to land at the Pell City Airport, but they could not get him to respond.

Military Jets from Whiting Field were launched to intercept the plane. The Jets caught up to the plane, but the pilots say the door to the plane was open and the cockpit was dark. They could not see the pilot, nor could they reach him by radio, and no blood was found. The Military stayed with the plane until it crashed one mile north of Peter Prince Airport in Milton.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are expected in Milton Monday to investigate.

Fox10 News will be covering this story throughout the day. We will be updating information here on our website. Christina Leavenworth will have a full report Monday evening on FOX10 News beginning at 5:00 p.m.