GREEN COVE SPRINGS, Fla.—Authorities say two small planes collided in air near a Florida airpark, killing one man and injuring another.
Florida Highway Patrol spokesman Dylan Bryan said 77-year-old David Dollarhide had just taken off in a two-seat kit plane near Haller Airpark in Green Cove Springs on the morning of May 29 when he hit a plane piloted by 74-year-old Robert Woolley that was already in the air.
2 small planes collide in air near Florida airpark https://t.co/LT9JJNUTcb pic.twitter.com/5c0hNYD3Yi
— WPTV (@WPTV) May 29, 2019
Bryan says Dollarhide’s plane went down near the Clay County Fairgrounds, several miles north of the airpark, while Woolley’s crashed into a wooded area closer to the airpark.
????NEWS ALERT: Two passing planes are reported to have collided in air, near the Penney Farms area, but both seem to have landed.
✔️For any updates and pertinent details that may come available, please follow us here or on our FB account: @ccsofl #CCSOFL pic.twitter.com/m2AJaPwbsL
— Clay County Sheriff’s Office, FL (@ccsofl) May 29, 2019
Dollarhide was hospitalized with injuries that were not believed to be life-threatening.
Bryan says both pilots lived near the private airfield, which did not have a control tower.
PICTURED: Retired US Navy pilot who survived mid-air plane collision over Florida that killed another aviator https://t.co/GloKsIv0J7 pic.twitter.com/q35c17Rgln
— Daily Mail US (@DailyMail) May 29, 2019
During this difficult time, we truly appreciate all of the agencies who came together and assisted us, along with our community and local media personnel. The hard work of everyone involved brought medical aid and attention to the crash sites much quicker. #CCSOFL pic.twitter.com/Of53813uKp
— Clay County Sheriff’s Office, FL (@ccsofl) May 30, 2019
The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating.
Search On for Survivors After Small Plane Crashes in Ocean
The Coast Guard is searching for any survivors after a small plane crashed into the Atlantic Ocean off New Jersey.
The Federal Aviation Administration says the single-engine Mooney M20J crashed on the morning of May 29 about 1,200 feet from the Cape May Lighthouse.
State police say that the plane is in about 18 feet of water and that a recovery is being attempted.
Plane owner Lisa Campbell of Air-Mods Flight Training Center at the Trenton-Robbinsville airport says it left the airport, more than 100 miles from the crash site, around 8 a.m.
She says the male pilot’s credentials and the aircraft were “all in order.” She says the pilot was a regular customer who flew recreationally.
Police say it’s unclear whether there were any passengers.
