Several people have died as a result of a light plane crashing into a backyard in Clearwater, Florida. Stephen Ascari, a resident of Clearwater, reported hearing what sounded like an explosion on Thursday evening that shook his entire apartment, adding that they saw a large column of smoke rising.
Reports indicate that while officials received a call about a fire in a mobile home park, there was also a report of a plane experiencing an emergency at one of the airports. The plane disappeared from radar approximately three miles north of the runway, which is the same location as the mobile home park.
A spokesperson for the Federal Aviation Administration stated that the aircraft, a single-engine Beechcraft Bonanza V35, crashed into the residential area after the pilot reported a malfunction in the engine.
Clearwater, home to over 110,000 residents, is located about 23 miles west of Tampa on Florida's central west coast.
