RINGGOLD, Va. – The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is in Danville investigating Tuesday’s fatal plane crash.

Lynn Spencer, an air safety investigator with the NTSB, said Wednesday afternoon that the plane was a 1977 model Cessna 310R, tail number N622QT. She said local authorities will be responsible for releasing the pilot’s name. The victim has not yet been identified publicly.

Spencer said the victim was a commercial pilot for Sol Aerial Services LLC. He was reportedly conducting aerial surveying when the twin engine plane went down off the Milton Highway in Ringgold about 10:07 a.m. Tuesday.

Spencer had no word on a cause and said it may take 12-18 months to determine what happened. She said the plane took off from Danville Regional Airport at 10:03 a.m. and climbed to 2,300 feet before beginning a descent to 1,100 feet. The aircraft was headed southwest at 10:06 a.m. It’s believed the Cessna crashed about a minute later. The pilot’s body was found in the wreckage and he was the only person on board the plane.

The NTSB spokesperson described the crash site as “a very fragmented debris field” and said the plane was “in many small pieces.” The debris field is about 125 yards long.

The agency is asking for witnesses to contact the NTSB with any information regarding the crash. Representatives will be canvassing the crash site before taking the engine and what’s left of the aircraft to Dover, Delaware on Friday for analysis.

A preliminary report on the crash is expected in about two weeks.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is assisting in the investigation.