Investigators are sifting through the mangled wreckage of a Cessna 140 that crashed about 7:30 p.m. Tuesday night shortly after takeoff from a private airport in southeast Florida. The airport, Spruce Creek Fly-In is located in Port Orange just south of Daytona Beach. Witnesses reported the classic metal taildragger never climbed more than 200 feet into the air before entering a left turn and hitting some trees before striking the ground in an empty lot. The aircraft barely missed striking homes close to the runway of the popular fly-in community.
Federal Investigators on Scene at Florida Crash Site
Key Takeaways:
- A Cessna 140 crashed shortly after takeoff from Spruce Creek Fly-In airport in Port Orange, FL, on Tuesday night, failing to climb above 200 feet before hitting trees and the ground.
- The accident resulted in the death of passenger Nandish Patel, an Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University student, and critically injured pilot Chase Zinn, an ERAU graduate and flight instructor.
- Witnesses reported the aircraft narrowly missed striking homes; this incident marks the fifth death involving an aircraft at Spruce Creek Airport, though the flight was unrelated to Embry-Riddle activities.
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