ADEL — Federal authorities are investigating a fatal plane crash in Cook County that happened Tuesday.

Larry D. Bothof, 56, of Moultrie died in the wreck, according to a statement from the Cook County Sheriff’s Office.

A caller told authorities at about 3:30 p.m. Tuesday he had found items in his yard on Arthur Tillman Road that looked like they were from an airplane.

Searchers found wreckage in a slough completely covered in water from recent rains, the statement said. A debris trail more than a mile long was found by a Georgia State Patrol helicopter.

Attempts to reach the wreckage and find the pilot continued through the night but were unsuccessful due to terrain issues. The search resumed Wednesday morning with a swift water rescue team from Thomasville helping.

Bothof was found in an area covered by deep water, according to the statement. His remains will be sent to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation for an autopsy.

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

The plane that crashed was a Saberwing experimental aircraft, according to a statement from the FAA. The plane, a single-engine craft, had taken off from the Cook County Airport, the sheriff’s statement said.

The pilot was the only person on board, the FAA statement said.

Aside from the Cook County Sheriff’s Office, help was provided by the state patrol, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, the GBI, Georgia Search and Rescue Task Force 2, the Thomasville-Thomas County Swift Water Rescue Team, the Valdosta Police Department, the Colquitt County Sheriff’s office, the Cook County Coroner’s Office, Cook County Emergency Management, the Cook County Boardd of Commissioners and Road Department, Cook County’s fire departments, Grady EMS, Valdosta Powersports (which provided an amphibious vehicle), Pike Creek Turf (which provided a staging area) and the Stanley Storey family, according to the sheriff’s statement.