The crash of a single engine light aircraft in a Florida mobile home park on Thursday, February 1 has resulted in the deaths of its occupant as well as a number of people on the ground.
According to a report by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on the evening of February 1, a Beechcraft Bonanza V35 single engine light aircraft had reported an engine failure in-flight shortly before the accident.
The light aircraft subsequently crashed in a mobile home park in Clearwater, where it reportedly impacted one home and left several others with fire damage.
The FAA statement did not confirm the number of persons on board the aircraft, saying only that “several people” were involved, from the aircraft and in the home which it impacted.
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According to local news source the Tampa Bay Times, Clearwater Fire Chief Scott Ehlers told a news conference that the airport control tower had picked up the Mayday call from the pilot of the Beechcraft Bonanza that went off the radar about 3 miles north of the runway.
At the crash site, the remains of the aircraft were found predominantly in one home, with fire chief Ehlers confirming that there had been “several fatalities” from both the aircraft and the home concerned.
Footage posted to social media by the Clearwater Fire and Rescue Department confirmed that several houses in the mobile home park had been affected by fire, with firefighters from multiple jurisdictions in attendance.
Further specifics are yet to be disclosed, however it is understood that both the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are working to identify the aircraft and its occupants.
Update
As confirming information comes in, it appears that the pilot was the sole occupant of the Beechcraft Bonanza registered N6659L involved in the Clearwater accident. Three people are listed as fatalities – the pilot and two persons on the ground.
An FAA statement now confirms the sole occupant of the aircraft: “A single-engine Beechcraft Bonanza V35 crashed into a residential area in Clearwater, Florida around 7 p.m. local time on Thursday, Feb. 1, after the pilot reported an engine failure. Only the pilot was on board.”
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