WINTER HAVEN, Fla. — Investigators confirmed Tuesday evening that four people were killed after two planes collided in midair over Florida.
Update 10:34 p.m. EST, March 7, 2023: The Polk County Sheriff’s Office confirmed on Twitter Tuesday evening that the bodies of four people were located following the plane crash over Lake Hartridge.
The sheriff’s office identified three of the four people. Faith Irene Baker, 24; Zachary Jean Mace, 19; and Randall Elbert Crawford, 67.
Baker was a pilot and flight instructor with Sunrise Aviation, according to the officials. Baker was in a Cherokee Piper 161, the sheriff’s office said. Mace was a Polk State College student flying with Baker.
Crawford was in the other plane, the Piper J-3 Cub.
Polk County Sheriff’s Office said they are working to identify the other person who was in the Piper J-3 Cub.
“My heart goes out to the families and friends of those who were killed in today’s crash. The NTSB and FAA will be investigating the cause and circumstances of the collision. Please keep the families in your prayers during this difficult and stressful time,” Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said on Twitter.
Update 10 p.m. EST, March 7, 2023: The Polk County Sheriff’s Office confirmed to WFTV that two bodies were found during their search efforts Tuesday evening following the crash.
The sheriff’s office also confirmed that one plane was a seaplane that was registered to Jack Brown’s Seaplane Base in Winter Haven, Florida, according to the news outlet. The other was a fixed-wing plane that was operated by Sunrise Aviation in Ormond Beach through Polk State College.
The identities have not yet been released.
Original story: The Polk County Sheriff’s Office in a news conference confirmed that one person has died in the crash Tuesday, according to WTSP. The crash happened near Lake Hartridge in Central Florida.
Polk County Sheriff’s Office Chief of Staff Steve Lester said that it’s possible other people were killed in the accident, according to the news outlet. Lester said that one of the planes is in 21 feet of water.
Lester said that the sheriff’s office received a call just after 2 p.m. about a midair collision over Lake Hartridge, the Ledger. said.
“This is search and rescue,” Lester said, according to WTSP. “When we can identify all the people and identify how many people were in the planes, then we’ll go to search and recovery.”
Officials are looking into the planes’ routes and how many people were on each plane. Winter Haven police and fire crews, Polk County Sheriff’s Office and fire rescue, and Dundee (Florida) Fire Department are searching the lake for the planes, according to the Ledger.
The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are expected to investigate the crash, WTSP reported.
The identity of the deceased person has not yet been released pending next of kin notification.
The cause of the crash is unknown, WTVT reported.
