UPDATED: Pilot confirmed dead in Tred Avon River plane crash

EASTON — Officials with the Maryland State Police confirmed the pilot of a small aircraft that crashed into the Tred Avon River near Easton Tuesday morning was killed in the incident.

Robert Eugene Merlini, 56, of Annapolis was identified as the victim of the crash by MSP Tuesday evening.

The Merlini called in an engine failure before crashing into the river at around 9:30 a.m., the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement to The Star Democrat. The pilot was the only person on board.

Merlini was doing work with the Maryland Advanced Development Laboratory’s University Research Foundation, according to officials at the scene.

“It’s a sad day for not only the aviation community, but for the scientific community,” said David Abrams, the communication director for the Maryland Department of the Environment.

The FAA said the aircraft is a twin-engine Cessna 402. The plane was 30 years old, according to MSP.

According to David Heidhausen, president at the University Research Foundation, the plane was used for advanced research and development. Heidhausen said the projects included enhanced flight vision systems, cameras in the nose and helmet-mounted displays.

Heidhausen said Merlini was not developing research but relocating the plane in a “ferry flight” when he crashed.

According to a preliminary investigation, the aircraft took off shortly before 9 a.m. from Tipton Airport at Fort Meade before crashing into the Tred Avon River, MSP said. Police believe the pilot was headed toward the Easton Airport when the crash occurred.

The Easton air traffic control tower reported the incident to the emergency dispatch center, as did witnesses who observed the crash.

The FAA said it will work with the National Transportation Safety Board to conduct an investigation.

Merlini’s identity was released following the notification of his next of kin. Merlini was recovered from the water and transported to the shore, where EMS personnel declared him deceased at the scene. He will be transported to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for autopsy.

Liz Underhill, who lives along the Tred Avon, received a call from a neighbor who had seen the plane in the water. Underhill got in her boat and attempted to assess the situation. She saw the plane in the water, but no one was out of the plane.

There were numerous other people in boats trying to help.

Among the agencies on the scene were the Coast Guard, Talbot County Sheriff, Maryland State Police, Maryland Natural Resources Police, Easton Volunteer Fire Department, St. Michaels Volunteer Fire Department, Anne Arundel County Fire Department and Talbot County Emergency Services.

Konner Metz contributed to this report.