VERO BEACH, Fla. — A pilot and two others were killed when a small plane that departed from Vero Beach crashed into Clearwater mobile home park Thursday evening.
"Yeah, I was just changing my clothes and then suddenly "Boom," out of nowhere," a man said.
Just after 7 p.m. Thursday night, a Bonanza V35 plane crashed at the Bayside Waters mobile home park in Clearwater. The pilot and two people on the ground were killed, the Federal Aviation Administration said Friday.
Neighbors said they ran outside to help after the crash.
State
3 killed after plane that departed Vero Beach crashes into mobile home
"By the time I got out the door it exploded," one neighbor said.
Clearwater Police Chief Eric Gandy said the aircraft had taken off earlier in the day from Vero Beach.
"All indications are the airplane departed here last evening sometime," Vero Beach Regional Airport Director Todd Scher said.
He said he was familiar with the plane.
"The airplane in question, I've observed it on the airfield probably for the last three to four weeks," Scher said.
Scher said this is a tragedy.
"As a pilot, I was a pilot long before I was an airport manager, you just hate to hear about things like that happening," Scher said.
None of the names of the victims have been released. The National Transportation Safety Board is heading up the investigation. A preliminary report will be released within 30 days.