CLIMAX — Reports from Decatur County state a plane that went missing Monday en route to Cairo was found crashed near Climax.  Two people died from the incident.

The Thomas County Sheriff’s Office noted in a WCTV report that the plane was found, crashed, near Salem Church Road in Climax Monday afternoon.

The report also stated two people on board the plane were killed in the crash.  Reports from WCTV state the pilot was identified as Gene Odom and co-pilot as Lester Hathcox.

WTVT is reporting Hathcox as a former helicopter pilot for WFLA in Tampa and also having worked for the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office.

The twin-engined Cessna 441 took off from Lakeland Linder Regional Airport Monday morning and dropped from tracking two miles west of the Cairo-Grady County Airport.

Weather and visibility made search efforts more difficult after the Federal Aviation Administration issued an alert after the plane disappeared.

The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the cause of the crash.