LAKELAND, Fla. – A small plane from a flight training school in Central Florida crashed into a storage warehouse, and an official said two people aboard are believed to be dead.
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[VIDEO: Local 6 reporter Evan Lambert heads to plane crash | AUDIO: 911 call | 2 | 3 | 4 ]
City spokesman Kevin Cook said the plane crashed Thursday morning into a building owned by Key Safety Systems in Lakeland. The company designs, develops and manufactures automotive safety systems, including air bags and seatbelts.
Police released the names of whom they "reasonably believe to be the occupants of the airplane and whom were scheduled to be in the plane at that time." Police said pilot Terry Lee Butt Sr., 62, of Winter Haven, and student pilot Gregory Todd Geng, 41, of Hudson, Florida, were on the plane.
Witnesses saw a plane in distress around 10 a.m. When officials arrived, the warehouse was on fire. Chemicals are stored in the building, and hazmat crews were called to the scene.
In 911 calls, several witnesses called in to report the crash. One man said, "It's smoking, it's smoking pretty bad."
Cook said the plane was a Twin Engine Piper Apache, tail number N465JA, from Tailwheels Etc. Flight School.
"There was an accident (Thursday) morning in which we lost on of our aircraft, along with the lives of close friends," Tailwheels said in a statement. "We ask that you would also keep the families of the deceased in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time."
Officials said the plane took off from the Lakeland airport and crashed into the warehouse, causing an explosion and fire.
Firefighters were dousing the scene with cold water into the night, as to keep the highly combustible chemicals from exploding. They don't believe anyone in the area is at risk from the chemicals because the crash site is in an industrial area.
Firefighters say they will call in a company to remove the chemicals once the scene is cleared.
Video from Local 6 News helicopter Sky 6 showed a gaping hole in the roof of the building, with burned debris and smoke fuming from the building.
The National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration will investigate the crash.
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