CLEARWATER, Fla. (TND) — A mobile home community in Clearwater, Florida became the site of investigation of a small plane crash on Thursday evening.
Three other people died in the crash, in addition to a crew member and two other people on the ground, according to an initial report from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
The user’s identity has not been revealed.
Fire Chief Scott Ehlers said the call came in at 7:08 p. m. arriving at the venue at 7:15 p. m.
Ehlers said he won a report about a fireplace in Bayside Waters, a cellhouse park formerly known as Japanese Gardens.
“Simultaneously there was a report of an aircraft having an emergency at the airport where the aircraft response vehicles responded to,” Ehlers said.
Ehlers said the tower at the Clearwater Saint Pete Airport got a radio transmission from the pilot that he was having a “mayday, mayday, mayday.”
He said the plane disappeared from radar about 3 miles north of the runway, where the fire scene was located. Ehler praised the airport’s sets for their quick reaction to the scene, as air reaction cars “are designed to extinguish larger fires. “
According to a statement received through The National Desk, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said a single-engine Beechcraft Bonanza V35 crashed into the domain after a pilot reported engine failure.
Ehlers said four trailers were heavily affected by the fire, adding that one contained the small plane inside.
The FAA said that at this time “it is not yet known how many more people were on board. “
In a later update, Chief Ehler confirmed fatalities as a result of the crash but did not list a number.
The leader said fire crews are still rushing to clear hot spots and locating patients inside the moving space where the plane crashed.
Chief Ehlers also asked the media that they are going through a very confusing scene.
“There is going to be a lot of agencies that are here and are going to be responding to help coordinate in the investigation of actually what happened,” Ehlers said.
All other cell houses were evacuated and Ehlers said there were no internal casualties and everyone needed to get out.
“We have an injury that is secondary to the total incident, a user that we reject,” Ehlers said.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) arrived Friday morning to inspect the injured and said investigators would document the scene and read about the plane.
Afterward, the aircraft will be taken to a secure facility for further evaluation.
The NTSB’s investigations focus on three main areas: the pilot, the aircraft, and the operating environment.
Investigators will collect the following and records:
Any witnesses to the crash or those who have surveillance video that could be relevant to the investigation should contact NTSB at [email protected].
“During the on-site investigation phase, the NTSB is not ascertaining or speculating on the cause of the crash,” officials said. “The NTSB has no role in disclosing the identity of those who suffered the twist of fate and/or the extent and number of injured, nor does it reveal the identity of those injured or killed; This is controlled through the local authorities. “
An initial report will be available within 30 days.