The body of a Monmouth County pilot whose rental plane crashed in the water off Cape May Point was recovered this weekend.
Lawrence Klimek, 58, of Howell, was flying the Mooney fixed-wing, single-engine plane alone when he crashed into the water Wednesday.
Sea Tow Cape May was able to locate the plane and Klimek's remains.
Friday "was a sad but very successful day for our crew at Sea Tow Cape May and Northstar Marine," the Cape May-based company said in a Facebook post. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the pilot's family."
The plane is registered to Air Mods and Repair Inc. in Robbinsville, Mercer County, which describes itself as a "one-stop aviation service provider."
Klimek got his commercial pilot's license Jan. 11, 2016, according to FAA registry.
His Facebook page is full his interest in flying, including marking his first solo flight in a Mooney 201J — so named because it can cruise at 201 mph, he explains — this past Jan. 26, out of Robbinsville,
"Checked out and approved to solo in just 5 hours flight time on 1/26/19," he wrote. "I do have over 300 flight hours logged day and night (simple and complex)."
His last public post in April shows his skydiving.
The Coast Guard was notified at 11:23 a.m. Wednesday that a plane went into the water, Petty Officer Andy Kendrick said.
Two boats out of the Cape May station and a helicopter from Air Station Atlantic City were immediately dispatched.
Lifeguards on the scene were already swimming out to the plane when the call was made, he said.
Cape May Fire and Rescue was also on the scene along with a Sea Tow boat, he said.
BREAKINGAC NOTE: This story was originally published at 1 p.m. May 29. It has been updated to include the pilot's identity and the recovery of his remains and the plane.
