State police late Wednesday identified the pilot in a fatal morning plane crash on Cuttyhunk as Allen P. Spaulding Jr., 70, of Wilmington De.

Police said the facts and circumstances surrounding the crash remain under investigation.

Mr. Spaulding, a longtime resident of Cuttyhunk, was the sole occupant of a 1965 fixed-wing Maule Bee Dee M-4-210 aircraft that crashed on a remote strip of land at the west end of the island. Cuttyhunk lies at the tip of the Elizabeth islands chain, to the west of Martha's Vineyard.

Early in the day police confirmed that the pilot had died, but did not release his name pending notification of family.

Dukes County Sheriff Michael A. McCormack said the plane crashed on takeoff and hit the tops of trees.

Coast Guard officials received reports of the crash at 10:30 Wednesday morning, and responded to the scene along with Martha’s Vineyard emergency and fire personnel and state police.

State police, Coast Guard, the FAA, the National Transportation Safety Board and the Massachusetts Aeronautics Commission are investigating the cause of the crash.