Photo: Clearwater Fire & Rescue Department
Three people were killed in a fiery plane crash at a mobile home park in Florida Thursday evening (February 1), according to CNN. The Clearwater Fire & Rescue Department responded to the Bayside Waters mobile home park in Clearwater at 7:08 p.m. on reports of a fire, which spread to other mobile homes after the crash.
A preliminary report from the Federal Aviation Administration states a single-engine Beechcraft Bonanza V35 "crashed under unknown circumstances." Officials confirmed one of the fatalities was the pilot, who was the sole occupant inside the plane, and the other two victims were on the ground. They haven't been identified as of noon Friday (February 2).
During a news briefing the same evening, Clearwater Fire Chief Scott Ehlers said there was a report of a plane having an emergency at the airport at the same time they received reports of a fire. The plane went off the radar about three miles north of a runway, which is the same location as the mobile home park.
The aircraft was reportedly found crashed inside one mobile home, and the flames spread to three more residences. Nobody was hurt from the fire, Ehlers confirmed.
An FAA spokesperson told CNN the pilot reported an engine failure before the crash. Investigators haven't confirmed the official cause of the crash at this time.
The National Transportation Safety Board dispatched an investigator to document the scene and examine the plane wreckage on Friday (February 2). It will then be taken to “a secure facility for further evaluation.”
The investigation is ongoing.