The pilot of a Europa experimental aircraft that went down just north of Shreveport today has been identified as David Williamson, 71, of Bossier City.

Witnesses reported seeing the plane in distress around 11:40 a.m. flying low over LA Hwy. 71. At 12:06 p.m., a motorist called the Caddo Sheriff's Office and reported a plane down at 5000 Hwy. 71 North. Emergency crews responded and found Williamson strapped in the plane, which had crashed between several oak trees on a private farm just outside the city. He was dead at the scene.

The Sheriff's Office confirmed that Williamson took off from the downtown airport at 11:39 a.m. He was not required to file a flight plan, nor did he do so. Before taking off, Williamson said he was heading to the north practice area about seven miles from the airport, and it was not necessary to monitor him on RADAR.

Investigators with the Caddo Sheriff's Office Traffic Safety Unit documented the crash and will turn over their information to the FAA, which is expected on site tonight, and the NTSB, which will arrive tomorrow from Colorado.