Brooks said the pilot, identified as 59-year-old Walker Hester, of Marietta, Georgia, was killed and nobody else was on the plane.

Officials said a helicopter flying over the scene found some wreckage in a swampy area of the Pee Dee River. Brooks said an eyewitness saw the plane go down in the river.

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Atlanta art and antiques appraiser and auctioneer Allan Baitcher (right) takes bids during a 2020 auction. Baitcher and his company, Peachtree Antiques, are being sued by a Florida multimillionaire who says he paid them $20 million for fakes. (AJC 2020)

Credit: Phil Skinner / Staff