The body of David Lee, a 1990 graduate of St. Johnsbury Academy, was recovered from a plane wreck in the Alaska wilderness Wednesday. Lee, a 34-year-old heavy equipment operator and experienced pilot, apparently died on impact when his plane crashed into a wooded, mountainous area about 80 miles northwest of Fairbanks, said Alaska State Trooper Lt. Lonny Piscoya on Thursday. Troopers identified the plane as Lee's using numbers on the tail wing. "They have the tail number and this one was a match," said Piscoya. "We don't have any clue on the cause of the crash." On Thursday, an official from the National Transportation Safety Board was waiting for bad weather to clear before flying to the crash scene for an investigation, said Jim LaBelle, Alaska regional director of the National Safety Transportation Board. "We're awaiting the on-site investigation and seeing what that yields," he said. Lee, a resident of Manley Hot Springs, Alaska, disappeared sometime after leaving the town on July 6 for a 60-mile flight to the Dalton Highway, where he was working on a construction project, said Lee's mother, Susan Aiken, who flew to Alaska Wednesday. Lee, who was flying his yellow Piper Cherokee, was reported missing on Saturday after failing to show up for work on Friday, she said. A Civil Air Patrol Pilot spotted the wreckage of Lee's plane on Tuesday, when state troopers began the recovery effort. "This is Alaska - it's cruel country," said Aiken from Alaska Thursday. "The weather was stormy and we figure it was probably pilot error." Aiken said the wreckage was found along what would have been Lee's intended route. On Thursday, Lee's body was in Fairbanks for an autopsy, Aiken said. "It's somber here in Fairbanks because a lot of people knew him," she said. Aiken was preparing to travel to Manley Hot Springs where her ex-husband, Lee's father, owns the Manley Roadhouse about 150 miles northwest of Fairbanks. A funeral service will be held for Lee in Alaska on an upcoming weekend, when all his friends and family will gather for a celebration of his life, Aiken said. A memorial service in St. Johnsbury will be held for Lee after the funeral in Alaska, Aiken said. Lee, who was born in Alaska in 1971, lived on a farm in The body of David Lee, a 1990 graduate of St. Johnsbury Academy, was recovered from a plane wreck in the Alaska wilderness Wednesday. Lee, a 34-year-old heavy equipment operator and experienced pilot, apparently died on impact when his plane crashed into a wooded, mountainous area about 80 miles northwest of Fairbanks, said Alaska State Trooper Lt. Lonny Piscoya on Thursday. Troopers identified the plane as Lee's using numbers on the tail wing. "They have the tail number and this one was a match," said Piscoya. "We don't have any clue on the cause of the crash." On Thursday, an official from the National Transportation Safety Board was waiting for bad weather to clear before flying to the crash scene for an investigation, said Jim LaBelle, Alaska regional director of the National Safety Transportation Board. "We're awaiting the on-site investigation and seeing what that yields," he said. Lee, a resident of Manley Hot Springs, Alaska, disappeared sometime after leaving the town on July 6 for a 60-mile flight to the Dalton Highway, where he was working on a construction project, said Lee's mother, Susan Aiken, who flew to Alaska Wednesday. Lee, who was flying his yellow Piper Cherokee, was reported missing on Saturday after failing to show up for work on Friday, she said. A Civil Air Patrol Pilot spotted the wreckage of Lee's plane on Tuesday, when state troopers began the recovery effort. "This is Alaska - it's cruel country," said Aiken from Alaska Thursday. "The weather was stormy and we figure it was probably pilot error." Aiken said the wreckage was found along what would have been Lee's intended route. On Thursday, Lee's body was in Fairbanks for an autopsy, Aiken said. "It's somber here in Fairbanks because a lot of people knew him," she said. Aiken was preparing to travel to Manley Hot Springs where her ex-husband, Lee's father, owns the Manley Roadhouse about 150 miles northwest of Fairbanks. A funeral service will be held for Lee in Alaska on an upcoming weekend, when all his friends and family will gather for a celebration of his life, Aiken said. A memorial service in St. Johnsbury will be held for Lee after the funeral in Alaska, Aiken said. Lee, who was born in Alaska in 1971, lived on a farm in West Barnet from 1977-1990. Lee is survived by his 8-year-old son, Robert.