Pilot found dead in Everglades sent last images from cockpit to girlfriend

Mercy Akinyemi: Pilot said he flew alone because instructor didn't show

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – While flying a single-engine Cessna 152, Mark Ukaere sent pictures to his girlfriend, Mercy Akinyemi, before crashing in the Florida Everglades. 

Akinyemi, who lives in New Jersey, said she warned him that it was getting dark. He sent her selfies Saturday from the cockpit.

"I asked him, 'Why did you have to fly alone? Because, I mean, you just landed. There's nobody on the flight with you,'" Akinyemi said. "He said the guy never showed up. His instructor never showed up."

It would be the last pictures he would send her. Ukaere, 29, died. Authorities found his body Wednesday. An alligator could be seen lurking near his body.

"Right now, everyone is confused," Akinyemi said. "Everybody is devastated right now." 

The plane belonging to Dean International Flight Training was destroyed. Ukaere, a licensed pilot, was working on an advanced certification. 

Robert Dean, the flight school's owner, attributed the cause of the crash to spatial disorientation due to the darkness of the night over the Everglades.

The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board were investigating. His friends organized a Saturday afternoon memorial at the flight school. 


About the Authors:

Sanela Sabovic joined Local 10 News in September 2012 as an assignment editor and associate producer. In August 2015, she became a full-time reporter and fill-in traffic reporter. Sanela holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications with a concentration in radio, television and film from DePaul University.

The Emmy Award-winning journalist joined the Local 10 News team in 2013. She wrote for the Miami Herald for more than 9 years and won a Green Eyeshade Award.