Pilot Seriously Injured In Polk Plane Crash

MULBERRY, FL — A flight instructor was seriously injured Monday when a small, fixed-wing plane crashed into a partially wooded area of Mulberry, Florida, according to the Polk County Sheriff's Office and Polk County Fire Rescue.

The 1995 Vans RV-6 fixed wing, single engine, two-seat aircraft went down around 11:42 a.m. near the west end of Thompson Road. Officials said the owner of the plane was also aboard the aircraft at the time of the crash but was not injured.

The flight instructor was identified as 78-year-old John Ducey of Brooksville while the owner of the plane was identified as 24-year-old Luke Fraiser of Wisconsin.

"Mr. Fraiser said Mr. Ducey was flying the plane at the time of the
crash," said Scott Wilder of the Polk County Sheriff's Office.

"Mr. Fraiser was not injured and declined to be transported to the hospital," said Wilder. "Mr. Ducey was transported to Lakeland Regional Health Medical Center."

The aircraft took off from Zephyrhills Municipal Airport, according to an FAA spokesperson, who said the agency plans to investigate the crash. The National Transportation Safety Board will determine the probable cause of the crash, the spokesperson added.