Plane Crashes Into Bartow Church’s Parking Lot

BARTOW, FL — A man was seriously injured when his plane crashed into the parking lot at Bartow’s Good Hope Missionary Baptist Church Sunday afternoon.

According to Polk County Fire Rescue, the crash occurred around noon on June 11 as approximately 300 congregation members were in the middle of a worship service. People inside the Griffin Road church reported hearing a “loud bang,” an email from fire rescue said. “Someone went outside to check it out and informed the church there was a plane crash in the parking lot.”

Priscilla Sykes and Queen Morris, both registered nurses, rushed outside to render aid to the male pilot, fire rescue said. Both Morris and Sykes were assisting the man when fire rescue arrived on the scene. The pilot was taken to Bartow Municipal Airport from the scene so Aeromed 4 could airlift him to Lakeland Regional, fire rescue said.

The pilot has not yet been identified. Authorities have not released his condition. No other injuries were reported, but officials say six vehicles were damaged when the single-engine craft crashed.

The crash investigation has been turned over to the National Transportation Safety Board. No further information is available at this time.

Photos courtesy of Polk County Fire Rescue