A small plane crashed inside a mobile home park in Florida on Thursday, resulting in the tragic deaths of several people on board the aircraft and some residents, according to authorities.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), a branch of the US Department of Transportation, reported that the single-engine aircraft, a “Beechcraft Bonanza V35,” had experienced engine trouble shortly before it crashed at around 7:00 PM local time.
Scott Ellers, the Clearwater Fire Department Chief, confirmed during a press conference that the plane crashed within the “Bayside Waters” mobile home park in Clearwater.
The impact of the aircraft caused damage to a house and affected at least three other homes, despite firefighters quickly extinguishing the resulting fire.
Ellers stated that they found the wreckage of the plane inside one of the mobile homes.
He did not provide an exact number of casualties but mentioned that many individuals, both on the plane and in the homes, had tragically lost their lives.
The FAA has not yet determined the exact number of passengers on the aircraft.
Ellers mentioned that the pilot had issued distress signals to air traffic controllers at the St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport shortly before the plane disappeared from radar approximately 5 kilometers north of the runway.
It’s worth noting that the airport is located about 11 kilometers southeast of the city of Clearwater.
