A small plane crashed into a warehouse in an industrial area this morning in Lakeland and the pilot and passenger on board are believed dead, firefighters said.
The crash happened just before 10 a.m. in the 5300 block of Allen K. Breed Highway and caused a fire in a former plastics warehouse, said Janel Vasallo, spokeswoman for the Lakeland Fire Department. Firefighters are using an abundance of caution and have not gone into the warehouse to reach the victims because there are explosive chemicals and propane stored inside, Vasallo said.
No one was in the warehouse at the time of the crash, Vasallo said.
The identification of the pilot and the passenger was not immediately available but they are believed to be an flight instructor and student. The plane was a Piper Apache A23 from Tailwheels Etc. Flight School, based at Lakeland Linder Regional Airport, which is less than 5 miles from the crash site, Vasallo said. The plane was in distress shortly before the crash, air traffic controllers at the airport told authorities, she said.
Staff at Tailwheels Etc. released a statement on Thursday afternoon asking for prayers for families of the victims.
“There was an accident this morning in which we lost one of our aircraft, along with the lives of close friends,” the statement said. “We have no further information as to the cause, and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will have an investigation into the crash.”
The fire took about an hour to put out, but there is a concern that at least one of the chemicals, which must be kept wet, would explode if it dried out, Vasallo said.
A hazardous materials team from Polk County was called to the scene, Vasallo said.
“There were no explosions that we know of but the potential was there so we had to take all precautions,” Vasallo said.
The warehouse belongs to Key Safety Systems, which designs, develops and manufactures automotive safety systems including air bags and seat belts. The company also has offices on the site, nearly a mile from the warehouse. Employes were not in any danger and were not evacuated, Vasallo said. Residents in the area were also safe because the warehouse is not near any homes and there is a pasture behind it.
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