Three dead after plane crashes into Palm Coast home


Three people have been confirmed dead, according to authorities. PHOTO BY ANDREW O'BRIEN
Three people have been confirmed dead, according to authorities. PHOTO BY ANDREW O'BRIEN
  • Palm Coast Observer
  • News
  • Share

LAST UPDATED: 3:52 p.m. Saturday
The Florida Highway Patrol has identified the three people who were killed Friday after their plane crashed into a Seminole Woods home. 

Michael R. Anders, 57, of Albany, Ky.; Duane L. Shaw, 59, of Albany, Ky.; and Charissee M. Peoples, 42, of Indianapolis.

9:19 a.m. UPDATE
Investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration continue to work the scene at 22 Utica Path, where a Bonanza H35 crashed into a Palm Coast home around 2:20 p.m. Friday, leaving three people dead and a neighborhood in shock. 

The pilot and two passengers aboard the plane were killed in the crash.

One woman inside the home, Susan Crockett, was able to escape through her bedroom window moments after the plane crashed through the roof with minor injuries. She was admitted to Florida Hospital Flagler and then released Friday evening. 

After further investigation, authorities determined the plane, which was built in 1957, was traveling from Fort Pierce to Knoxville, Tenn. The plane was registered out of the British Virgin Islands. 

According to the radio audio, the pilot of the plane reported having engine trouble, saw smoke and then entered a patch of bad weather. The pilot reported the plane was shaking severely and was trying to divert and land at Flagler County Airport. 

The crash took place about one mile east of the airport. 

Only portions of the wing remained. Because trees surrounding the home weren't damaged, officials said it appears the plane made a steep decent prior to entering the roof of the home. A fire ensued and consumed the remainder of the plane and most of the house.

Investigators are expected to remain at the crash site Saturday. 

This is a developing story. 

ORIGINAL STORY
Three people are confirmed dead after a small plane crashed into a home around 2:20 p.m. Friday, on Utica Path, in Palm Coast.

The plane was believed to be originate out of Daytona Beach, according to Lt. Justin Asbury, of the Florida Highway Patrol.

The homeowner was inside the home at the time of the crash, and she was transported to Florida Hospital Flagler and is listed in stable condition, according to Debra Johnson, spokeswoman for the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office.

Per standard protocol, FHP was working the scene, as it does with all plane crashes.

Initial reports indicated there were four or five passengers on board the plane, but officials have since confirmed there were three passengers.

Although parts of the plane’s wing protruded from the home’s roof, most of the plane was destroyed, Asbury said.

Jeff Sheeley, who lives on Utica Path, said he heard a loud noise and then heard sirens shortly after the plane went through the roof of the home.

When he ran outside, he said the house was engulfed in flames. The flames were as high as the tree line, Sheeley said.

“I felt the rumble in the ground when it hit, and then the home was fully engulfed in flames,” Sheeley said.

Asbury said the Florida Highway Patrol is used to working big scenes, and that this plane crash is more confined than a large traffic crash.

“Challenges are, as always, what happened?” Asbury said. “And that’s going to be our goal: to find out what exactly happened.”

The fire has been completely extinguished, according to authorities. The plane is believed to have landed in the backyard.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration, the BE35 aircraft was headed to Knoxville Downtown Island Airport, in Tennessee, when the pilot reported that the plane was "shaking." The crash occurred about one mile east of the Flagler County Airport. 

This is a developing story.

 

Latest News

×

Your free article limit has been reached this month.
Subscribe now for unlimited digital access to our award-winning local news.