Student pilot Carly Beattie, 21, was flying a Cessna 152 with her 24-year-old brother Daniel Beattie when it crashed into trees reaching 50ft in an unpopulated area of Indian River County, much of which is accessible only by boat.
Officials from the Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board, who are investigating the crash, are to look into whether the Scot had the necessary qualifications to fly the plane.
Search and rescue authorities were alerted after family members called to say when the plane failed to return from a three-hour flight.
The bodies were found in the early hours of yesterday morning in the wreckage of the 34-year-old aircraft following a six-hour search after officers had tracked a signal from a sibling’s mobile phone.
The area where the plane went down was very remote – we don’t have a single eye witness
It appeared the light aircraft had nose-dived into the trees at the south-west end of Blue Cypress Lake. The fuselage was split in two behind the cockpit and the engine buried in deep mud; one of the wings was wrapped around a tree.
The US Coastguard sent a helicopter capable of lowering an pneumatic extrication device, to workers on the ground so they could prise open the aircraft.
It is understood around 18 firefighters and deputies had to carry the bodies through a quarter of a mile of dense woods and swamp.
“It’s horrible,” said Indian River Sheriff’s Deputy Matt Davis, adding that the site was “extremely difficult to get around”.
Indian River County Sheriff’s spokesman James Harpring said: “It does appear to be a very tragic accident with the loss of life of two young people.
“The area where the plane went down is a very heavily wooded, swampy remote area.
“We don’t have a single eyewitness to the crash, we have not had any reports of anyone even hearing anything – a crash, an engine spluttering, an explosion or anything like that at all.
“The first indication that there was something wrong was when the plane didn’t return as scheduled.”
Ms Beattie, a second-year student studying air transport with commercial pilot training at Buckinghamshire New University in High Wycombe, was living on Merritt Island as part of her degree course.
Her brother and their parents Thomas and Elaine, who are all from the Edinburgh area, were believed to have been on holiday.
The plane is understood to have been registered to Space Coast Aviation, a flight school and flying club, and is thought to have been rented by the brother and sister.
They set off at around 10am on Thursday on a three-hour flight. Police were contacted 10 hours later.
Lieutenant John Mellick, a spokesman for Brevard County Sheriff’s Office, said: “Apparently, Space Coast Aviation has a protocol for overdue planes. After they exhausted all of their scenarios they contacted us.”
As helicopters scoured the area, officers detected the plane’s emergency beacon and then located the wreckage using lights at around 2.49am local time yesterday.
The Cessna was found about a quarter of a mile from the nearest road and in an area of cypress trees and knee-deep mud near the lake in the Blue Cypress Conservation Area.
Mr and Mrs Beattie met with Space Coast Aviation officials yesterday, nine hours after the bodies had been discovered.
Professor Ruth Farwell, Vice Chancellor of Buckinghamshire New University, later said in a statement: “We do not know the precise circumstances of Carly’s death. The authorities are investigating the cause of the accident and no further details will be available until that investigation has progressed.
“Our thoughts are with Carly’s family and friends at this difficult time and we are actively supporting fellow students on the air transport with commercial pilot training course.”
A spokeswoman for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said: “Our consulate in Orlando are in touch with next of kin and are offering consular support at this extremely difficult time.”
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