Sarasota County

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    Small Plane Crashed in Sarasota County, Florida

    PittsA Pitts S-2B crashed into the waters off Siesta Key beach in Sarasota County, Florida, at around 12:15 p.m. on August 12.

    The pilot, Earle Swan, 75, and his passenger, Martin Thomas, 51, were on a training flight when suddenly the single-engine plane started experiencing engine trouble. According to the FAA spokesperson Kathleen Bergen, “Shortly after departure from Sarasota Bradenton International Airport, the pilot contacted radar controllers in Tampa to report an engine problem…He said that he would land on the beach.”

    The plane tumbled across the beach and landed in an upside down position. The Pilot remained unhurt while his passenger sustained minor lacerations and was taken to Sarasota Memorial Hospital.

    The FAA records show that the plane was registered to Anthony T. Nourse, of 5112 Inverness Drive, Sarasota.

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    Father, Daughter Killed as Small Plane Crash Lands Near Caspersen Beach

    PiperA 1972 Piper Cherokee lost power and crash landed on sand near Caspersen Beach on Venice Island, Sarasota County, Florida, on July 27.

    Spokesperson of the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office, Wendy Rose, confirmed that none of the two people aboard the plane were injured in the incident. However a man, identified as Ommy Irizarry, 36, who was walking on the beach with his 9 year old daughter, was killed. His daughter, Oceana Irizarry, was critically injured and was airlifted to Children’s hospital in St. Petersburg. But on July 29, the authorities confirmed that she had succumbed to her injuries. They belonged to Fort Stewart, Georgia.

    It is not yet clear whether the two victims were hit by the plane or debris.

    According to Rose, at 2:45 p.m., the Venice airport received a distress call from the plane’s pilot. “They were contacted by a pilot whose small plane was in distress. He knew he couldn’t make it back to the airport and was going to try to land on the beach. And he did land at the edge of the water on the beach,” she said.

    The NTSB is investigation the incident.