2 From Baltimore Among 5 Killed In Florida Plane Crash
BARTOW, Fla. (WJZ/AP) — A couple from Baltimore is among five people killed in a fiery small plane crash in Florida, authorities say.
The twin-engine Cessna 340 crashed shortly after takeoff Sunday morning at Bartow Municipal Airport, immediately killing the 70-year-old pilot and his four adult passengers, according to a statement from Polk County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Carrie Horstman. It wasn't immediately clear what caused the crash.
The sheriff's office identified the pilot as Lakeland attorney John Shannon. He had filed a flight plan to fly Sunday from Bartow to Key West, Horstman said.
The passengers included his two daughters, his son-in-law and a family friend. They were identified as: 24-year-old Southeastern University student Olivia Shannon, 26-year-old Baltimore teacher Victoria Shannon-Worthington, 27-year-old University of Maryland law student Peter Worthington Jr. and 32-year-old Lakeland teacher Krista Clayton.
The Worthingtons had arrived in Florida on Saturday for the Christmas holiday, Sheriff's office spokeswoman Carrie Horstman said.
Shannon-Worthington was a 4th grade teacher at the Baltimore International Academy Elementary/Middle School. She also earned a Master's degree from Johns Hopkins University.
The University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law released a statement to WJZ Sunday night regarding Worthington's death:
"Words cannot properly express the sadness felt by the Maryland Carey Law community and everyone at the University of Maryland, Baltimore over the loss of Peter Worthington, a third year law student. Our hearts and prayers go out to his friends and family and also to the friends and family of those who died with him in this terrible crash. He was a tremendous contributor to our community, and he will be terribly missed."
Horstman said Shannon had filed a flight plan to fly Sunday from Bartow to Key West.
"This is a tragedy at any time, but it is so much worse because it happened on Christmas Eve," Sheriff Grady Judd said.
The plane was engulfed in flames by the time fire rescue crews arrived, Polk County Fire Rescue spokeswoman Tina Mann said in a statement.
The private plane was heading east into heavy fog when it took off, according to the sheriff's office.
The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration will be investigating the crash.
Bartow is about 50 miles (80 kilometers) southwest of Orlando.
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