Tuscaloosa Aerial Photographer Killed in Friday Plane Crash

A plane that crashed into water in rural Tuscaloosa County Friday morning is registered to a local aerial photographer, according to data from a public flight tracking website.

As the Thread first reported, multiple public safety agencies responded to a small plane crashing into a tributary creek feeding the Black Warrior River east of Adger Friday morning.

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The plane is reportedly a four-seat single-engine Cessna Skyhawk registered to Tuscaloosa's Todd Media Incorporated.

The company, founded and run by Edward Todd, has provided aerial photography to clients in Birmingham and Tuscaloosa for more than a decade.

The plane departed the Tuscaloosa National Airport at 9:11 Friday morning and flew into Jefferson County, where it made several loops over spots in Hoover before turning southwest and flying back towards Tuscaloosa.

Tracking data for the flight ends at 10:16 a.m., and the Tuscaloosa Fire Rescue Service said the first calls about the crash came in around 10:30 a.m.

The FAA's extremely preliminary report said the aircraft crashed after striking a power pole.

UPDATE: Family members confirmed on social media late Friday night that Edward Todd was flying the plane that crashed and did not survive. His body was recovered from the water where his Cessna went down after colliding with a power pole or power lines.

Todd was 67 and shared five adult children and seven grandkids with his wife Moya.

The thoughts of the staff of the Tuscaloosa Thread and Townsquare Media are with Todd's family and friends after this tragic accident.