Three victims IDENTIFIED: 4 killed as 2 planes collide midair before plunging into Florida lake
WINTER HAVEN, FLORIDA: As many as four people were killed after two planes collided while flying over Lake Hartridge in Winter Haven, Florida on Tuesday, March 7, law enforcement officials said. Zachary Jean Mace, 19, a student at Polk State College, Faith Irene Baker, 24, a pilot and flight instructor with Sunrise Aviation, and Randall Elbert Crawford, 67, a resident of Carlisle, Pennsylvania, were three of the victims of the crash, according to the Polk County Sheriff's Office.
Polk County Sheriff's Office Chief of Staff Steve Lester said that one plane was "partially submerged while the other plane was completely submerged," reports The Sun. He added that one of the planes was discovered 21 feet under the water. Both the planes' destinations and the manner of their collision are unknown. The incident is being looked into by both the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration.
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What planes were involved in crash?
During a previous press conference, Polk County Sheriff's Office Chief of Staff Steve Lester said that at least one person had died and it was possible that additional lives had also been lost. "We do have one confirmed deceased," he stated. "We do believe that there are possibly others deceased." The investigators were able to identify some of the victims namely Faith Baker, 24, Zachary Mace, 19, and Randall Crawford, reports WTSP.
A Piper J-3 Club seaplane from Jack Brown's Seaplane Base and a Cherokee Piper 161 fixed-wing aircraft run by Sunrise Aviation through Polk State College are the two aircraft involved in the tragic crash. According to law enforcement, Crawford and the fourth victim were in the Piper J-3 Club, while Baker and Mace were in the Cherokee Piper 161.
'NTSB, FAA will be investigating the cause and circumstances'
"My heart goes out to the families and friends of those who were killed in today's crash. The NTSB and FAA will be investigating the cause and circumstances of the collision," Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd claimed in a statement. "Please keep the families in your prayers during this difficult and stressful time." Deputies are now engaged in a recovery operation after claiming that the four people who were injured in the accident were the only ones in both planes. Additionally, they are still trying to determine who the fourth individual is.
Polk State College is in deep sorrow after learning of the deaths of student pilot Mace and Sunrise Aviation flight instructor Baker. "Our Polk State College family is devastated by this tragedy," Polk State President Angela Garcia Falconetti said. "We extend our deepest condolences to their families, friends, and colleagues."
