Crime & Safety
Federal Aviation Administration Investigating Winter Haven Seaplane Crash
Polk County deputies and Winter Haven Fire Rescue helped rescue a flight instructor and pilot after a failed landing on Lake Smart.
WINTER HAVEN, FL — A plane crash in Winter Haven critically injured a pilot and flight instructor Wednesday afternoon, a Polk County Sheriff's Office news release said.
Two adult males, 77-year-old John "Jack" Hamilton of Elizabethon, Tennessee, a licensed pilot, and 22-year-old Landen MacFarland of Stuart, a flight instructor, were trying to land a two-seater seaplane on Lake Smart at 2:30 p.m. when one of the wings dipped into the water causing the plane to launch 50 feet back in the air, according to authorities.
This caused the plane to crash "nose first into an orange grove about 40 yards from Lake Smart," Winter Haven police said.
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Hamilton was taking a refresher course from Jack Brown Seaplane Base in Winter Haven.
Both men were last listed in critical condition at a local hospital, Polk County Sheriff's Office said.
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The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are investigating the plane crash.
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