Lakeland Instructor Killed In Plane Crash Into House: Sheriff

WINTER HAVEN, FL — A training instructor from Lakeland was killed in a plane crash in Winter Haven Saturday afternoon, the Polk County Sheriff's Office said.

According to the sheriff's office, the instructor and the trainee took off from Winter Haven airport in an amphibious plane. The pair's goal was to practice simulated engine failure training, however Sheriff Grady Judd said authorities did not know whether or not they were simulating engine failure at the time.

"So, we don't know if this was a training exercise gone bad," Judd said. The plane crashed just off of 21st Street Northwest.

Just after takeoff, the aircraft lost power and crashed into a house. According to Judd, a 17-year-old girl became pinned and entrapped in a bedroom inside the home. She was "basically folded up into the wall" and had to be rescued by firefighters and taken to the hospital. Her injuries were described as being really minor.

The girl's brother and mother were also in the house. Three children, a 15-year-old, an 11-year-old and a 2-year-old, were playing in the driveway, according to Judd.

"It was a blessing today that we didn't have an entire family wiped out," Judd said, while expressing sympathies for the training instructor and his family, calling his death tragic.

The training instructor was identified as James Wagner, 64, of Lakeland. The trainee was able to walk out of the plane and was wandering around when authorities arrived. He suffered relatively minor injuries.

Judd said officials would work with the family to make sure they had somewhere to stay if they don't have family in the immediate area.