SHERMAN, Texas (KTEN) — The pilot of a small plane died Saturday morning when it crashed near Sherman.

The aircraft went down around 9:40 a.m. along FM 697 southwest of Sherman. There was heavy damage to the front of the plane, and the fuselage was split in two.

Grayson County deputies and the Tom Bean firefighters were first to arrive at the crash site.

"When first responders arrived on scene, they found the pilot to be unresponsive and had no signs of life," said Texas Department of Public Safety Sgt. Josue DeLaCerda. "At approximately 10:18 a.m., the Justice of the Peace Christina Fox pronounced the pilot deceased."

The pilot was identified as 69-year-old Paul Edward McBride of Dallas. The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the circumstances of the fatal crash.

Information from Flightaware.com shows that the 54-year-old Piper PA-30 single-engine aircraft took off just after 9 a.m. from Aero Country Airport in McKinney, Texas. It disappeared from radar about 40 minutes later after making a series of looping maneuvers.