CLEARWATER, Fla. – A small plane crash in Clearwater left four mobile homes ablaze and killed 3 people on Thursday evening, according to local officials.
City officials said that the crash happened at Bayside Waters — formerly known as the Japanese Gardens Mobile Home Park — along US-19, south of the Clearwater Mall.
During a news briefing, Fire Chief Scott Ehlers explained that the fire department received a call about the incident shortly after 7 p.m. after four of the nearby mobile homes caught fire.
Ehlers added that the fires were “quickly extinguished,” revealing that the plane had landed in one of the mobile homes.
The FAA stated that the pilot reported an engine failure before the crash.
According to a preliminary report released by the FAA Friday morning, the pilot of the single-engine Piper PA-24 and two people on the ground in the mobile home park were killed.
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The city of Clearwater identified the three victims on Saturday.
Martha Parry, 86, of Clearwater, lived along Pagoda Drive and was one of the two people on the ground who were killed in the crash and subsequent fire, the other identified as Mary Ellen Pender, 54, of Treasure Island, who was reportedly visiting Parry’s home.
The pilot was identified as Jemin Patel, 54, of Melbourne Beach, according to the city.
Fire Chief Scott Ehlers added that there was one injury that he believed was “secondary to the entire incident,” though that person refused to be taken to the hospital. He did not clarify what that injury entailed.
Overall, three of the mobile homes were either severely damaged or destroyed, Ehlers said.
No additional information has been provided at this time.
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