Pilot, 2 on ground killed after plane crashes into Florida mobile home park. What we know
Three people were confirmed killed after a plane crashed into a mobile home park in Clearwater Thursday night.
The pilot reported an engine failure prior to the crash. The three who died were identified by officials Saturday.
Four mobile homes caught fire in the Bayside Waters mobile home park after the crash, according to the Clearwater Fire and Rescue Department.
Here's what we know as the investigation continues.
Officials describe Clearwater plane crash in Bayside Waters Mobile Home Park
We’re on scene of a small plane crash at a mobile home park south of Clearwater Mall. Multiple mobile homes have caught fire. Firefighters from multiple jurisdictions are on scene. pic.twitter.com/1vBLnTnY8R
— Clearwater Fire & Rescue Department (@clearwaterfire) February 2, 2024
A small plane crashed into a large mobile home park in Clearwater about 7 p.m. Thursday.
The plane was found in one of the homes, according to Clearwater Fire Chief Scott Ehlers.
Three homes in Bayside Estates, formerly known as Japanese Gardens, were damaged by the resulting fire and a fourth sustained possible fire damage.
Was anyone killed or injured in the plane crash?
We’re on scene of a small plane crash at a mobile home park south of Clearwater Mall. Multiple mobile homes have caught fire. Firefighters from multiple jurisdictions are on scene. pic.twitter.com/1vBLnTnY8R
— Clearwater Fire & Rescue Department (@clearwaterfire) February 2, 2024
Yes. Ehlers confirmed there were several fatalities, both from the plane and within the mobile home.
The Federal Aviation Administration's preliminary incident report released Friday shows the fatalities include the pilot and two people on the ground. The pilot was the only person on board the aircraft, the FAA said.
Officials identified the victims as 86-year-old Martha Parry, a resident of one of the mobile homes destroyed in the crash; 54-year-old Mary Ellen Pender, of Treasure Island, who was visiting Parry; and pilot Jemin Patel, 54, of Melbourne Beach.
Airport authorities told plane was having problems
Ehlers said the Clearwater airport had received a report of a plane having a problem.
"The (airport) tower ... was able to get radio transmission from the pilot that he was having a 'mayday, mayday mayday,' and the aircraft went off the radar about 3 miles north of the runway," Ehlers said.
The Federal Aviation Administration told USA TODAY the pilot had reported an engine failure.
What was the plane's flight path?
According to FlightAware, the plane left Vero Beach Regional Airport at 6:08 p.m. Thursday en route to Clearwater Air Park. It was in the air 58 minutes before it crashed at 7:06 p.m.
What type of plane was involved in the Clearwater crash?
#PlaneCrash #Clearwater #Florida 2636 Teakwood Drive. #ClearwaterFire is on scene at a mobile home community where a small plane has crashed. Multiple homes have caught fire. Aircraft is reported to be a #Beech #BonanzaV35B Reg: N6659L. Its 45 years old. Last flight was… pic.twitter.com/pYTZm2O0Nx
— SLCScanner (@SLCScanner) February 2, 2024
The plane was a single-engine Beechcraft Bonanza V35, according to the FAA.
Where is Clearwater and Bayside Waters Mobile Home Park where the plane crash happened?
Clearwater is a city on Florida's west coast. Located Pinellas County, it's west of Tampa and north of St. Petersburg.
Social media videos show scene of plane crash in mobile home park
Watch: A small plane crashes in a park close to a mobile home in Florida’s Clearwater. Several are feared dead, and the number of victims is yet to be determined, local authorities say. #Clearwater #Florida #PlaneCrash pic.twitter.com/pboud5rJid
— Al Arabiya English (@AlArabiya_Eng) February 2, 2024
Firefighter responding to scene of a small #planecrash at a mobile home park in #Clearwater, #Florida Fire officials say "several" people have been killed
The @FAANews is FAILING the American people, miserably 👎@DorinneTye@realmikeyd50@ema86387555https://t.co/YkoY0LB9CL https://t.co/YHY7ejeW9n pic.twitter.com/aucSKzPJve— Aviation Disaster (@NutritionBee) February 2, 2024
Here video of the plane going down, such a horrible story. Happens in the upper left corner. pic.twitter.com/cwut2Rf6ke
— TheMissingLink5 (@MissingLink5_) February 2, 2024
'Lucky to be here': Neighbor describes scene of plane crash
Joe Miller, who was wrapped in a blanket and still shaking hours after the crash, told the Tampa Bay Times he scrambled through the wreckage of his mobile home, which was ripped apart by the explosion, and was greeted outside by leaping flames from the home next door.
After eight years in the mobile home, Miller told the newspaper he has no idea what he'll do now.
"The roof's blown off and I don't know what's left inside. I just know I'm lucky to be here," he said.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Plane crash Florida: Several killed aircraft hits Clearwater home