Five killed after plane crashes in morning fog on Christmas Eve in Polk County
Five people were killed on a foggy Sunday morning in a small plane crash at Bartow Municipal Airport in Polk County.
Four of them were family members and the fifth was a family friend.
Officials received the call around 7:30 a.m. and responded to the airport to find a plane fully engulfed in flames, Polk County Fire Rescue spokeswoman Tina Mann said in a statement.
Polk Fire Rescue was able to quickly get the flames under control.
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office said a Cessna 340 twin-engine plane crashed at the end of the runway near Ben Durrance Road, located just off of U.S. 17 near Spirit Lake Road.
The plane took off around 7:15 a.m. heading east, into heavy fog, and crashed shortly after takeoff.
Officials said they believe fog was a factor in the crash.
The pilot has been identified as John Shannon, 70, a local attorney from Lakeland. Two of the passengers on board were Shannon’s daughters, Olivia Shannon, 24, and Victoria Shannon Worthington, 26. Olivia Shannon was a Southeastern University student, and Victoria Shannon Worthington was a school teacher in Baltimore.
The third passenger was Peter Worthington, 27, Victoria’s husband. He was a third-year law student at the University of Maryland.
The fourth passenger on board was a friend of the family’s, Krista Clayton, 32, who was a teacher at Jewett Academy in Polk. She leaves behind two children and a fiance.
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd, speaking at a news conference Sunday afternoon, said they were flying to Key West for a day trip.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the Shannon, Worthington and Clayton families. This is a tragedy any time, but it is so much worse because it happened on Christmas Eve. We are providing all of our resources to assist them with anything they need to help them get through this horrific tragedy,” Judd said.
Judd also said that John Shannon was an accomplished pilot who was a member of St. Paul Lutheran Church and was the president of the Republican Club of Lakeland.
“He’s a man with a good heart who gives back to the community,” he said.
A pilot with the sheriff’s office who was at the airport and witnessed the crash said he was stunned to see a plane attempt to take off in the heavy fog, Judd said.
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office will conduct the death investigations, and the NTSB and FAA will investigate the cause of the crash.
This story was originally published December 24, 2017 at 11:47 AM with the headline "Five killed after plane crashes in morning fog on Christmas Eve in Polk County."