Family: Pilot in Florida plane crash flew since age 16

NAPLES, Fla. (AP) — The family of a Florida man who died in a small airplane crash says he'd been a pilot since the age of 16.

The son of 71-year-old Bill Gaston Sr. says he suspects there may have been health-related issues that led to the crash Saturday near Naples. Gaston was flying from Key West when his twin-engine plane went down just short of an airport.

The Naples Daily News reports that authorities say the 1964 Piper Twin Comanche crashed down in a wooded area near some homes but no one was injured on the ground. It also appears there were no passengers on the plane.

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the cause of the crash.

Gaston lived on Marco Island and was retired.

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Information from: Naples (Fla.) Daily News, http://www.naplesnews.com