From the Trussville Tribune staff reports
ST. CLAIR COUNTY — The name of the pilot who died in a plane crash in St. Clair County has been released by the county sheriff’s office.
On March 28, 52-year-old Brett James Leistyna, of Los Angeles, California, went missing after taking off in a private plane from the North Alabama Regional Airport in Gadsden but contact was lost sometime afterwards. He was flying from Alabama to New Orleans. Etowah County authorities began a search with assistance from the Civil Air Patrol.
Last night, Leistyna’s plane was found near Highway 411 in Ashville.
St. Clair County Assistant Sheriff Billy J. Murray said that the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are at the scene of the crash and have begun an investigation.