CLEARWATER, Fla. — Three people were killed after a single-engine plane that departed from Vero Beach crashed Thursday night into a mobile home park in Clearwater, Florida, fire rescue officials confirmed.
A Beechcraft Bonanza V35 went down just after 7 p.m. at the Bayside Waters mobile home park.
The Federal Aviation Administration said the pilot reported an engine failure before the crash.
During a Thursday media briefing, Clearwater Fire Chief Scott Ehlers said the crash caused four mobile homes to catch fire.
Chief Ehlers updates the media and confirms there are multiple fatalities from the plane crash this evening. pic.twitter.com/ujxzx7Io9g
— Clearwater Fire & Rescue Department (@clearwaterfire) February 2, 2024
Ehlers said they were able to quickly extinguish the fire after crews arrived at the scene.
Officials said the fatalities were those involved in the plane crash and the home the aircraft hit. People in the three other homes that caught fire escaped unharmed, authorities said.
According to the FlightAware website, the plane took off from Vero Beach Regional Airport at 6:08 p.m. and was scheduled to land at the Clearwater Airpark at 6:49 p.m. before crashing at 7:06 p.m.
Ehlers said the plane crashed about 3 miles from the airport.
The pilot and two people on the ground were killed, according to the FAA.
The city of Clearwater said Friday that the two people who died on the ground were inside the mobile home.
Officials said as many as nine people had been inside the mobile home shortly before the plane crash, but all but two had left the residence before the plane crash.
"Our thoughts are with the three victims and their families," Clearwater Police Chief Eric Gandy said in a statement. "This tragedy could have been even worse."
The names of the victims have not been released.
The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the cause of the crash.