A Springfield, Virginia, man transporting rescue dogs from Maryland to New York died over the weekend after his plane crashed into the Catskill Mountains.

The plane, with the pilot and three dogs on board, crashed at 6:10 p.m. Sunday in a remote area of Windham, New York, the Greene County Sheriff’s Office said on social media. Two of the dogs survived.

The office later said the pilot was Seuk Kim, 49. He is survived by his wife and three children as well as other relatives.

The wreckage of the single-engine plane was found Monday in Catskill State Park, the Federal Aviation Administration said. Windham, 35 miles southwest of Albany, represents the northernmost end of the New York state park. The National Transportation Safety Board is leading an investigation into the crash.

Visibility and conditions were poor Sunday night, and Mr. Kim asked permission to change his altitude before the crash due to turbulence, Greene County Sheriff Peter Kusminsky told CBS News. The woods where the wreckage was found had a foot of snow cover.

Neither the sheriff’s office nor the FAA specified Mr. Kim’s origin and destination airports.

Of the three dogs, one died in the crash, another survived with two broken legs and was taken for treatment and the third was found with minor injuries and also taken for medical treatment, GCSO said.

The surviving dog with broken bones is a Labrador mix puppy. The other surviving dog is an 18-month-old Yorkshire terrier mix, according to CBS.

The Animal Shelter of Schoharie Valley, due to receive the dogs, wrote on Facebook that “Seuk was flying three dogs from high euthanasia shelters in the south to the Animal Shelter of Schoharie Valley to find these dogs loving forever homes. Anyone who knew Seuk knows that saving animals was his true passion and that he was a true hero within the animal rescue community.”

Mr. Kim was part of Pilots N Paws, a program that transports rescue animals. The nonprofit that runs the program also wrote a tribute.

“Seuk, words alone cannot describe the generosity and unforgettable acts of kindness you showed to all. Our hearts ache today and will for many more to come. The sky will never be the same without you,” Forever Changed Animal Rescue wrote on Facebook.

“He died doing what he loved, which was saving animals,” Mr. Kim’s daughter Leah Kim, 16, told Fox affiliate WTTG.

• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.