ANCHORAGE, Alaska — The pilot of a small plane that smashed into a building in downtown Anchorage on Tuesday was not authorized to fly the aircraft used in volunteer search-and-rescue missions, authorities said.

Doug Demarest, 42, of Anchorage, died when the Cessna 172 clipped an office building and slammed into a commercial building, according to the FBI, which is helping investigate the crash.

The plane belongs to the Civil Air Patrol, a civilian auxiliary of the Air Force made up of volunteers who help with search and rescue, disaster relief and homeland security across the country. Demarest joined the patrol in 2010.

No one on the ground was hurt and there was no indication anyone else was aboard the plane, FBI spokesman Staci Feger-Pellessier said. Neither agency would release additional details about Demarest or how he acquired the plane.

Clint Johnson, Alaska region chief for the National Transportation Safety Board, said the crash happened amid blustery winds. The NTSB looks at pilot error, mechanical problems and weather in its investigations.