San Luis Obispo man identified as pilot killed in Virginia crash

VIRGINIA, Calif. -- A San Luis Obispo man was identified as the pilot who died in a plane crash in Virginia on Monday.

Nicolas Hellewell, 35, from San Luis Obispo passed away after the plane crashed near Buck Hollow Trail in Rappahannock County.

The Shenandoah National Park in Virginia said in a press release that the trails and parking lot in the area are closed until further notice during the investigation.

On Monday, a small Piper PA20 aircraft left from Indian Head, Maryland, according to a representative from NTSB. The representative also says that the weather during the flight was overcast and rainy.

NTSB was able to track the plane by the "avionics", or aviation electronic equipment on the small Piper plane. They say all planes are required to have these equipments on board.

The wreckage of the plane was later found on Wednesday by hikers in the area near Luray, Virginia in Shenandoah National Park.

The NTSB representative says the field was scattered with fragments of the plane. Due to it being a wooded area, they had to get helicopters on scene to access the crash.

NTSB say they do not know where the pilot was headed as he did not give a flight plan. It is not required to give a flight plan to the agency.

The cause of the crash is still under investigation.