Bill Fitzpatrick Had Disappeared Nearly A Year Ago

The remains of pilot Bill Fitzpatrick and his Cessna 172 that went down nearly a year ago in Cameroon on an anti-poaching mission have been discovered by villagers in the area.

Fitzpatrick had been flying to Odzala-Kokoua National Park in Republic of Congo where he would have assisted in the location of elephant carcasses left by ivory poachers. He had departed from Kano, Nigeria on June 22 to fly to Kouala on Cameroon's coast, but did not arrive at his destination.

The Associated Press reports that there was no distress call from Fitzpatrick. He went down in a heavily forested, mountainous region that is difficult to access, according to local authorities.

Local villagers came across the wreckage of the airplane several days ago, according to a government official in the area. They are currently working on recovering the wreckage and any human remains.

Fitzpatrick's family said the discovery brings "closure" after 10-months of not knowing what had happened.

It has been determined that Fitzpatrick had plenty of fuel on board, and weather was not an issue the night of the accident. There was also no signal from the airplane's ELT.

(Cessna 172 pictured in file photo. Not accident aircraft)

FMI: www.ccaa.aero