A plane that crashed after taking off from the Aberdeen Regional Airport had been deemed not flight worthy by the Federal Aviation Administration, according to Brown County Chief Deputy Dave Lunzman.

Not long after that declaration, Gerald Seliski, the sole owner of the plane, took off from the Aberdeen Regional Airport on the night of Oct. 9, Lunzman said. Seliski was aware of the plane's FAA status, Lunzman said.

The plane and pilot never made it to their destination of Oakes, N.D.

The wreckage of the Cessna 172 with tail number N6483B was found Monday evening by a hunter three miles north of Aberdeen, according to previous reports. The investigation of the crash has been handed over to the National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration, according to Lunzman.

"If they'd need something locally, they'd call us to look at it," said Brown County Chief Deputy Dave Lunzman. "They try to piece together what could or could not have happened."

The wreckage was collected and transported to the Aberdeen Regional Airport and then sent to Wentworth Aircraft in Crystal, Minn., for forensic analysis, according to Aberdeen Transportation Director Rich Krokel.

"It'll be like one to two months, but hopefully sooner," Krokel said about getting results from the investigation.

The crash will be investigated by the NTSB and FAA with assistance from local authorities, Lunzman said. At this time Lunzman does not anticipate any criminal charges being filed in relation to the crash.

A search team including the North Dakota and South Dakota wings of the Civil Air Patrol had scoured Brown County in South Dakota and Dickey County in North Dakota for the plane and pilot, according to previous American News reports.

FAA records list a Gerald W. Seliski as having a student pilot certificate.

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