(AP) - The owner of a small plane that crashed in the Atlantic Ocean off Cape May Point in New Jersey says the male pilot was a regular customer who flew recreationally.

The Federal Aviation Administration says the single engine Mooney M20J aircraft crashed Wednesday morning approximately 1,200 feet from the Cape May Lighthouse on Wednesday morning.

Owner Lisa Campbell of Air-Mods Flight Training Center at the Trenton-Robbinsville airport says it left the airport, more than 100 miles away from the crash site, around 8 a.m., and the pilot's credentials and the aircraft were "all in order."

State police said the plane was located in about 18 feet of water, and a recovery was being attempted. Cape May Fire Department divers and lifeguards were also at the scene.