A Maine Game Warden was killed in a plane crash in Franklin County.

The Maine Warden Service says the plane went down in the woods around 11:00 a.m. Tuesday near Schoolhouse Pond in Avon.

The pilot, 50-year-old Joshua Tibbetts of New Gloucester, was the only occupant in the plane when it crashed.

At a press conference on Tuesday, Gov. Janet Mills and officials with the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife shared details about the investigation, as well as the work wardens do to protect Maine and its natural resources.

Gov. Mills said in part:

“I ask all Maine people to hold the Warden Service in our hearts as we all grieve the loss of their colleague and to express our deepest condolences to Tibbetts’ family and friends who are enduring an unimaginable sorrow.”

In a statement, the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife said:

This is a devastating loss for the Maine Warden Service, our Department, and the people of Maine. Our thoughts are with the family, loved ones, colleagues, and all those impacted by this tragedy.

Maine Warden Service Colonel Dan Scott said Tibbetts did not appear to send a distress signal before the crash but an automated distress signal was sent from the plane, which alerted Maine State Police.

Scott said that an initial review didn’t find any evidence of a mechanical failure or medical event.

Tibbetts was working on a routine mission to help stock fish in Western Maine waterways when the crash happened.

Tibbetts has been with the Maine Warden Service since 2008.

Local authorities will be working alongside the FAA and NTSB to investigate the crash.