CLEARWATER, Fla. (NewsNation) — A small plane crashed at a mobile home park in Florida on Thursday, killing several people and starting a fire, officials said.
The Federal Aviation Administration said three people died after the plane crashed into Bayside Waters mobile home park in Clearwater, NewsNation affiliate WFLA reports. The FAA said the pilot and two people on the ground were killed; their identities haven’t been released.
The crash followed a distress signal from the pilot of the single-engine Beechcraft Bonanza V35, who reported an engine failure shortly before the aircraft went down around 7 p.m., the Federal Aviation Administration reported.
The plane hit one home and left at least three homes with fire damage, although the flames were quickly doused Clearwater Fire Chief Scott Ehlers said at a news conference.
“The aircraft was found in the one structure,” Ehlers said.
Ehlers said the pilot reported an emergency to St. Pete–Clearwater International Airport shortly before the plane went off radar about 3 miles north of a runway. It’s unknown if the airport was the plane’s destination.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the incident.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
