Two Northern Irish people were in a serious but stable condition in hospital last night after the light aircraft they were on board crashed in Florida. The two other occupants on the plane were also Northern Irish. They escaped with minor injuries.
The four were on board the Piper 4 seat aircraft which left Tallahassee Regional Airport at 8.14am local time to fly to St Petersburg’s Albert Whitted Airport.
A spokesman for St Petersburg police department said information received from the plane’s pilot suggests the plane suffered engine failure as he began his approach to the airport and he was therefore forced to attempt a landing in the park.
According to witnesses, the plane was heading north to south when it came down in the park in “an apparent landing attempt” and struck a tree. The plane came to a rest upright in the southern section of the park.
The pilot of the plane was named as Grant Jordon (57) who was said to be in a serious but stable condition at Bayfront Hospital. Another passenger, Aloysius Ryan (52) was also said to be in a serious but stable condition. Both were transported to the hospital as trauma alerts.
The other two occupants, Eamonn Harnell (48) and a 17 year old girl, were said to have minor injuries. All are believed to be residents of Northern Ireland, according to the spokesman for St Petersburg police department.
The Federal Aviation Administration, the body charged with investigating air accidents, sent investigators to the scene who began their inquiry into the cause of the crash.
