LAKELAND, Fla. – One person is dead after a plane crash in Lakeland on Monday night, according to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.
In a news briefing after the crash, Sheriff Grady Judd announced that the crash was reported just before 8 p.m.
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“This was a very tragic evening for a young man, and his family and friends,” Judd declared. “It started out with him flying an airplane. He took off out of Bartow, and his friend took off in a separate plane out of Lakeland, and they were going to meet out here in the countryside north of Lakeland and fly formations.”
But following the crash, first responders rushed to the scene, which was located in a cow pasture roughly 3.5 miles north of Old Polk City Road, Judd added.
The other pilot reportedly told investigators that he’d looked down while they were flying formations, seeing his friend’s plane “come apart” and crash straight down to the ground, the sheriff stated.
Judd said the crash is still under investigation, and both the FAA and NTSB have been notified.
No additional information has been provided at this time.