One person is dead after a private plane crashed in Bay County, Florida Monday afternoon.

31-year-old Kevin Gorham was killed when his plane went down in Southport, about 10 miles north of Panama City.

Gorham was an instructor pilot with Precision AvJet, a family owned business.

Authorities say around 2:30 p.m. afternoon, 48-year-old passenger Craig Ellis walked up to a home and said he had just parachuted out of a plane that was experiencing some type of difficulty.

The crashed plane was found in a wooded area a half hour later.

Gorham's body was still inside.

Ellis told authorities that shortly after takeoff, the engine malfunctioned and the plane started to spin out of control.

Ellis says Gorham told him to bail from the plane and credits him with saving his life.