A head-on collision between two small planes in mid-air caused the death of four people in the State of Florida on Tuesday. The two small aircraft were flying over the town of Winter Haven, Polk County.
Two Planes have #collided and #crashed into a lake.
Police have confirmed that 2 people are dead after this small plane crash above Lake #Hartridge in Winter #Haven.#Winterhaven #Florida pic.twitter.com/RbN8ZgcwXn
— Chaudhary Parvez (@ChaudharyParvez) March 8, 2023
The planes belonged to two private recreational flying institutions, one of them linked to Polk State University. According to the Polk County Sheriff's Office, three of the four bodies found in the wreckage have been identified. According to the same source, the four deceased were the only occupants of the aircraft. The aircraft, a Piper J-3 Cub sea plane and a Cherokee Piper 161 fixed wing, crashed into Hartridge Lake.
The deceased identified are Zachary Jean Mace (19), a student at Polk State University; Faith Irene Baker (24), a flight instructor; and Randall Elbert Crawford (67), a native of Pennsylvania.
According to Steve Lester, chief of staff at the Polk County Sheriff's Office, the cause of the accident has not yet been clarified.
