One dead in Paynes Prairie plane crash
Press release from Alachua County Sheriff’s Office
ALACHUA COUNTY, Fla. – Yesterday afternoon, shortly after 2 p.m., the Combined Communications Center (CCC) received calls from residents in Micanopy reporting hearing a plane losing altitude and then a loud boom sound. About the same time, CCC also received calls from the Jacksonville and Gainesville Towers reporting losing radar contact with a plane on the radar screen over Paynes Prairie State Park.
Multiple deputies and Alachua County Fire Rescue (ACFR) responded to the area immediately and established a Command Post to centralize operations. Deputies from multiple units and specialty teams conducted a meticulous grid search with ACFR assistance. Air assets were not able to deploy due to weather conditions. At the time it was cloudy and raining, and visibility was poor.
Around 5:15 p.m. the wreckage of a small, single-engine plane was located in a wooded area within the park. One individual on board died at the scene. The Medical Examiners Office will assist in identifying the pilot.
The scene was secured overnight by deputies and will be turned over to the FAA/NTSB for investigation this morning. At that time we will transition to assisting the lead agency with their investigation.
Prayers for family and friends.
Young and invincible came face to face with reality.
Saddening outcome for this young man who made poor decisions. Control Tower operator in Kissimmee was pleading with him not to go to Gainesville due to the bad weather, but he brushed the controller off.
What a tragic loss for the family who likely gave him the money to buy the airplane. May they find Peace in the comfort of the Lord Jesus.
You should be ashamed of yourself. You’re a sick human. A very young man lost his life. Leaving grieving parents and a sibling. I AM HIS COUSIN. He didn’t “brush off” anyone. He was told to wait a minute or 2. And he did. I hope you never have to experience the loss my family is. And he worked for years to buy the plane himself
Melissa I am very sorry for the loss of your loved one.
Amen,
Melissa! People need to try to have human feelings.
Melissa, I am very sorry for your family’s loss. My thoughts and prayers are with you.
My reaction to this post is total amazement. I’m familiar with this plane crash, not the family or the victim at all. However, as a mother of two, all I can think is that the last thing I would want to read is that it is partially my fault for my child’s death whether or not I bought the plane or the car.
It’s a little bit too much TBT!
Can you please tell of how you know he was young? Just saying I know a lot of older gentlemen that seem to be ornery and can do anything.
It’s well reported that it was a 21 year old young pilot. The ATC call was posted online, and it was very hard to listen to.
Look at his track, he was clearly trying to find the airport, but couldn’t. https://www.flightaware.com/live/flight/N7806W
No, this was not him being lost. He flew into conditions that he was not legally allowed to fly in to. Nor was he capable of flying into those conditions. As he lost visual contact with the horizon and ground he gave himself spatial disorentiation (vertigo) which caused him to lose control of the aircraft.