A man thrown from a plane during a pilot training lesson in Tennessee on Friday, he was dropped from 2,500 feet when the canopy came off the Zodiac 601.

The unidentified man wasn't wearing a seat belt during his pilot lesson at the Collegedale Municipal Airport, the instructor was able to land safely.

Authorities have launched a search and rescue mission for the man that fell from the plane over the East Brainerd and Apison areas of southeastern Tennessee. He is reported to have his cell phone as well as the instructor's and local police are working to locate GPS signals from one of the phones.

Collegedale Municipal Airport employee Lowell Sterchi said the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board have been notified of the incident.

It's reported that the man did not have a parachute or any other life-saving device that would have aided him in the fall. He is believed not to have survived the fall, however nothing can be confirmed until his body is located.

The Zodiac 601 is an experimental aircraft that is typically used for leisure flights and flight instruction.