CLEARWATER – Authorities report that three people were killed when a small plane crashed into a mobile home community and burst into flames.
Clearwater Fire & Rescue, alongside the Clearwater Police Department and surrounding fire departments and law enforcement agencies, responded to a plane crash involving a single-engine aircraft at Bayside Waters, formerly known as Japanese Gardens Mobile Home Park, located on U.S. 19 south of Clearwater Mall. The incident, reported at 7:08 p.m., resulted in multiple residences catching fire.
The crash heavily damaged one mobile home, while two neighboring mobile homes sustained minor damage from the heat and flames. Three victims have been confirmed deceased, with two found inside the mobile home and one inside the plane. The Pinellas-Pasco Medical Examiner’s Office will handle the identification of the victims and determination of the cause of death.
Martha Parry, age 86 of Clearwater. She lived at 2647 Pagoda Drive.
Mary Ellen Pender, age 54 of Treasure Island. She was visiting the mobile home.
Jemin Patel, age 54 of Melbourne Beach. He was the pilot.
Although up to nine individuals had been in the mobile home on Pagoda Drive before the crash, only two were present at the time of the incident. Clearwater Police Chief Eric Gandy expressed condolences, emphasizing that the situation could have been more tragic. The involved aircraft, a Beechcraft V35, had departed from Vero Beach earlier in the day.
The Clearwater Police Department will continue to oversee the scene until Saturday, anticipating the removal of the wreckage by the National Transportation Safety Board. Updates on the victim’s identity will be provided once identification is established and family members are notified.
The pilot’s original destination appears to have been Clearwater Airpart (KCLW). At approximately 7 p.m., a single-engine Beechcraft Bonanza pilot issued a radio transmission, indicating engine failure. The pilot referenced Albert Whitted Airport and expressed difficulty locating another airport. Moments later, the pilot conveyed, “I’m losing engine.” Shortly thereafter, a fellow pilot reacted with an expletive, and another pilot reported, “They hit the ground really hard, I see flames.”
Radio traffic as recorded by Air Traffic Control (LiveATC.net)
