Plane Crash Into Building 'Was Pilot Suicide

A man who died when his light aircraft crashed into a building committed suicide, according to his family.

Doug Demarest clipped an office block that houses the law firm where his wife works and then slammed into an unoccupied commercial building in central Anchorage, Alaska.The FBI said he was not authorised to fly the Civil Air Patrol-owned Cessna 172 which is used in search-and-rescue missions.The 42-year-old pilot, who joined the voluntary group in 2010 and was believed to be alone in the plane, died at the scene and no-one else was hurt.Family spokeswoman Jahna Lindemuth said there was no reason to think Mr Demarest was trying to harm anyone but himself.Ms Lindemuth declined to say how the family knew it was a suicide and asked that the family's privacy be respected.The early morning crash on Tuesday happened before most businesses opened, in an area surrounded by offices, hotels and restaurants.The Civil Air Patrol, a civilian auxiliary of the US Air Force, is made up of volunteers who help with search and rescue, disaster relief and homeland security across America.