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.
The 1955 model Cessna 140, powered by an 85 hp engine, was piloted by Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University graduate Chase Zinn who was critically injured in the crash and remains hospitalized. An ERAU statement said Zinn was also a flight instructor. A current ERAU student, Nandish Patel died in the accident. The university said the flight was not related to any ERAU activities.
Spruce Creek Airport includes a single runway 3,998 feet long by 176 feet wide. A local newspaper reported that Tuesday’s accident represented the fifth death involving an aircraft leaving or approaching Spruce Creek Airport.
