Winter Have, Fla. — Two small planes collided in midair over a central Florida lake Tuesday afternoon, killing the four people in them, authorities said.
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said Tuesday night that their bodies had been located. “It is no longer a search and rescue operation, but a recovery operation,” he said.
He said one of the planes involved was a Cherokee Piper 161 carrying Faith Irene Baker, 24, of Winter Haven, a pilot/flight instructor with Sunrise Aviation and Zachary Jean Mace, 19, of Winter Haven, a student at Polk State College.
Judd said the other was a Piper J-3 Cub with Randall Elbert Crawford, 67, of Carlisle, Pennsylvania and one other person on board.
“Deputies are working to confirm the identity of a fourth deceased person. … Once a positive identification has been made, and next of kin notification has been made, we will release the identity,” he said.
The J-3 is a float plane.
CBS Miami
“My heart goes out to the families and friends of those who were killed in today’s crash,” Judd added. “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.”
Deputies said earlier it wasn’t known where the planes had taken off from or what caused the crash. Lake Hartridge, in Winter Haven, where the planes went down, is immediately southeast of the Winter Haven Regional Airport. Winter Haven is about 40 miles southwest of Orlando.
Witnesses recalled the planes crashing into each other and then immediately falling into the water, Polk County Sheriff’s Office Chief of Staff Steve Lester said.
The wing of one plane was sticking out of the water, while the other aircraft had settled about 21 feet below the surface, officials said.
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