Crime & Safety
2 Injured In Small Plane Crash: Manatee County Sheriff
A vintage single-engine plane crashed not long after taking off from Airport Manatee on Tuesday morning, the sheriff's office said.
PALMETTO, FL — Two men were injured when their small plane crashed shortly after taking off from Airport Manatee in Palmetto on Tuesday morning, according to a Manatee County Sheriff’s Office news release.
Their vintage single-engine Aeronca Champ “experienced a problem” just before 10 a.m., deputies said. The plane veered left, clipped a powerline and then crashed into an unoccupied pickup truck that was parked nearby.
Deputies found 70-year-old John Sikirica with visible injuries in the plane’s front seat.
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Allen Maxwell, 86, who had been in the rear seat, was able to climb out of the plane, MCSO said. He was also injured.
North River Fire Rescue also responded to the crash site and helped to free the pilot from the wreckage.
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Both men received medical attention on the scene and were later airlifted to area hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries, the sheriff’s office said.
No injuries were reported on the ground.
Florida Power & Light also responded to the scene to repair the damaged powerline.
The Federal Aviation Commission is investigating the crash.
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