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Pilot found dead after crash had flown planes his whole life

A pilot found dead after a small-plane crash in Vermont has been identified as an 89-year-old Massachusetts man who had been flying planes his entire life.

Police say Windsor, Massachusetts, resident Norman L. Baker was the only person on the four-passenger plane, which had been reported missing. Baker had been flying from Pittsfield, Massachusetts, to Middlebury, Vermont, 125 miles north.

The 1966 Cessna plane is believed to have crashed Wednesday in Pittsford, Vermont, 25 miles south of Middlebury. The crash site was discovered Thursday by a landowner walking in a wooded area of his property.

Police say the plane was heavily damaged and the pilot was found dead nearby. They say the pilot had done the trip successfully about 20 times and they don't know why he crashed this time.

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating.