CLEARWATER, Fla. – A tragic plane crash in Clearwater resulted in the death of one crew member and two individuals inside a mobile home when a plane departed from Vero Beach Regional Airport and crashed into a mobile home park. The Federal Aviation Administration released its preliminary report on the incident, detailing the victims. The identities of the individuals involved have not yet been made public.
According to the Clearwater Fire & Rescue Department (CFRD), the crash occurred at around 7:08 p.m. in the Bayside Waters community, just south of Clearwater Mall. When emergency crews arrived at 7:15 p.m., they were met with extensive damage, with the plane still engulfed in flames and the surrounding area left in charred debris. Multiple homes in the area were damaged, with some sustaining fire damage.
The single-engine Beechcraft Bonanza V35 had departed from Vero Beach Regional Airport at 6:08 p.m. and was scheduled to land at Clearwater Air Park an hour later, according to FlightAware. Clearwater Fire Chief Scott Ehlers confirmed in a news conference that there were multiple fatalities from the aircraft and within the mobile homes.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reported that the pilot of the plane had reported an engine failure at around 7 p.m., although the number of individuals onboard the aircraft at the time of the crash is still unknown.
The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are currently conducting an investigation into the cause of the crash. More details will be provided as they become available.