Small plane crashes into Clearwater mobile home park, ‘several’ dead

Update, 3:55 p.m.: Clearwater Police Chief Eric Gandy said nine people were inside the mobile home struck by the plane, and all but two left shortly before the crash. The department expects the National Transportation Safety Board to remove the wreckage Saturday. The flight originated from Vero Beach.

Update, 10:45 a.m.: According to a Federal Aviation Administration preliminary report, the pilot and two people on the ground died in the crash. The plane’s registration number, N6659L, shows the aircraft was built in 1979. It was registered to Indianapolis-based Control Data, Inc.

Original story:

Local investigators continue working to identify victims after a single-engine plane crashed into Clearwater mobile home park Thursday evening, setting the area ablaze.

The incident made national headlines overnight and into the morning. According to the New York Times, the Federal Aviation Administration said the aircraft was a Beechcraft Bonanza V35. However, the number of people onboard remains unknown.

Early Friday morning, Rob Shaw, public information officer for the City of Clearwater, told the Catalyst that first responders have yet to confirm the number of fatalities. Fire Chief Scott Ehlers said “several” died Thursday night.

Shaw expects an additional press conference, in collaboration with federal agencies, by late Friday afternoon. He said local authorities would likely hand the investigation over to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) today.

We’re on scene of a small plane crash at a mobile home park south of Clearwater Mall. Multiple mobile homes have caught fire. Firefighters from multiple jurisdictions are on scene. pic.twitter.com/1vBLnTnY8R

— Clearwater Fire & Rescue Department (@clearwaterfire) February 2, 2024

The incident began unfolding at around 7 p.m. Thursday. Clearwater Fire & Rescue received a structural fire report at the waterfront Bayside Waters mobile home park at 7:08 p.m.

Ehlers said the department simultaneously received a call from St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport officials. A pilot reported a “mayday,” and the airport dispatched internal fire response teams to a runway.

“The aircraft went off the radar about three miles north of the runway, which is in this location here,” Ehlers said.

Bayside Waters, formerly known as Japanese Gardens, is a 55+ manufactured home community at 19709 U.S. Hwy 19 N. Ehlers said first responders arrived at 7:15 p.m. and found four trailers engulfed in flames.

A map of the area, with the red pin denoting the Bayside Waters mobile home park. Screengrab, Google.

Airport crews also responded to the site. Ehlers credited their assistance for helping quickly extinguish the main blaze. He said aircraft response vehicles “are designed to put large fires out, and that was a critical component of maintaining the park.”

Online videos show an orange blaze and a wall of smoke emanating from the area. Ehlers said the plane slammed directly into one home.

“I can confirm that we have several fatalities, both from the aircraft and within the mobile home,” he added. “We are still working to make sure there are no additional (deaths).”

The Clearwater Police Department and Pinellas County Sheriff’s Department were assisting fire rescue personnel. Ehlers said search and rescue and fire control operations would soon transition into a law enforcement investigation.

Police Chief Eric Gandy said his agency would approach the incident like a “serious traffic homicide crash.” He called scene preservation “critical.”

Gandy said officers would assist the medical examiner’s office with removing and identifying victims. The police department is also gathering witnesses.

“Clearly, local law enforcement doesn’t determine causality and causation with aircraft crashes,” Gandy said around 10 p.m. Thursday. “We haven’t even been able to get into the scene to effectively assess the totality at this point.”

Residents flooded social media channels in the aftermath to recount their experiences and request prayers for the victims. Cindy Stiles bemoaned the increasing number of planes flying over the area.

“I knew this was going to happen,” Stiles wrote. “And I don’t doubt there is more of this to come.”

This is an ongoing news story and will be updated as information becomes available.