Private jet crashes in marsh near Lake Tohopekaliga, sends 3 to hospital

Crash happened just after 3 p.m.

OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. – A private jet crashed in the area of Lake Tohopekaliga Friday afternoon, coming to rest in a marshy area behind a neighborhood, according to Osceola County Fire Rescue.

The landing happened just around 3:15 p.m. north of Kissimmee Park Road on the eastern side of the lake, according to emergency crews. The sheriff’s office said one a man and a boy were able to walk away from the crash and a woman received non-life-threatening injuries.

All occupants were able to get out of the plane and were sent to the hospital, first responders said.

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According to the Federal Aviation Administration, the jet is a single-engine Cirrus SF50 with the tail number of N77VJ. According to aircraft registration, the plane is registered with a TAC9, Inc out of Plantation.

Crews said the area where the plane landed is heavily wooded and chainsaws were needed to reach the crash site. Firefighters said the plane landed in roughly two feet of water.

It is not clear what brought down the plane but the FAA said the jet was on approach to Kissimmee Gateway Airport. Records show the plane took off from Miami.

Crews said the jet’s parachute system deployed and is now tangled in power lines. The plane also spilled hundreds of gallons of fuel, according to fire rescue, which is now being cleaned.

The parachute system for the Cirrus SF50 deployed prior to the crash. (Copyright 2022 by WKMG ClickOrlando - All rights reserved.)

According to a man named Guillermo, who told News 6 he is the co-owner of the crashed plane, the man in the plane was the pilot.

Guillermo said he and the pilot co-own the plane, though Guillermo didn’t know the passengers on board during the crash.

While he said he doesn’t know the reason for the crash, Guillermo told News 6 he recently used the plan to go on an eight-hour flight to Aruba.

“I want to know also because my head’s spinning,” he said.

Diana Inge, a nearby resident, told News 6 that she was thankful the jet had a parachute.

“Thank God they had the parachute, and everything is good...” she said. “It’s bad, but it wasn’t that bad, so hopefully they can recover from it.”

The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the cause of the crash.

This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.

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About the Authors:

Thomas Mates is a digital storyteller for News 6 and ClickOrlando.com. He also produces the podcast Florida Foodie. Thomas is originally from Northeastern Pennsylvania and worked in Portland, Oregon before moving to Central Florida in August 2018. He graduated from Temple University with a degree in Journalism in 2010.

Treasure joined News 6 at the start of 2021, coming to the Sunshine State from Michigan.

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