CLEARWATER, Fla. – A tragic incident unfolded in a Florida mobile home park when a small plane crashed, leading to the deaths of three individuals and igniting a fire in several units, as reported by the Clearwater Police Department. The crash, which occurred in the Bayside Waters community, resulted in the loss of one crew member on the plane and two individuals on the ground.
According to a report from the FAA, the pilot of the plane alerted St. Pete–Clearwater International Airport about an emergency before the aircraft went off radar, roughly 3 miles north of a runway. Clearwater Fire Chief Scott Ehlers stated that the airport, located about 7 miles southeast of Clearwater, received a distress call from the pilot shortly before the crash. The plane involved was a single-piston Beechcraft 35 Bonanza, which departed from Vero Beach Regional Airport and was scheduled to land at the small Clearwater Air Park.
Eyewitnesses in the mobile home park described the terrifying moment when the plane crashed, with a 72-year-old Florida man recounting how he was thrown to the floor, covered in insulation and broken glass, after hearing an “unbelievable roar” from the impact. The crash completely destroyed his mobile home and the adjacent trailer, narrowly sparing his life.
The devastating incident left the community in shock and mourning for the lives lost in the tragic accident. The authorities have launched an investigation into the cause of the crash, as well as the circumstances that led to the fatalities. The impact of such an event on the tight-knit community has been profound, with residents coming together to support each other in the aftermath of the tragedy.