Fatal Lake Maitland Plane Crash Claims Two Lives

By Orlando Personal Injury Attorney on June 17, 2019

On Wednesday, June 12th, 2019, a single-engine airplane crashed into Lake Maitland near Orlando, killing both the pilot and passenger – two South Carolina men who were aboard aircraft at the time of the accident.

Raymond Dodd, 79, of Seneca, and Dr. Stanley Rampey, 67, also from Seneca, rented the four-seat Cessna 182 from the Golden Cornery Flying Club in South Carolina where the men reside for a delivery trip to New Smyrna Beach with the intent of carrying parts for another aircraft. At approximately 6:25 a.m., they departed Oconee County Regional Airport in South Carolina, en route to Orlando Executive Airport, in which they arrived around 9:30 a.m., according to flight records. It is unclear at this time if the aircraft refueled before continuing on to their final destination: Massey Ranch Airpark in New Smyrna Beach.

Details about what exactly happened in the cockpit leading up to the crash are almost unknown, except that Dr. Rampey was piloting the aircraft at the time of the accident, and that an emergency radio call was placed shortly before going down, distressing about a problem with the plane’s fuel supply.

“We did receive information that the pilot did state that they were having fuel problems with the plane, but (we have) no other information other than that,” reported Maitland Police Department Public Information Officer Louis Grindle.

Orange County Fire Rescue’s special operations dive team, along with the first responders from Maitland Fire Rescue, combined & coordinated their skills and painstakingly investigated the lake for over an hour until their search was temporarily suspended due to inclement weather. Once the rescuers were allowed to resume, just over an hour later, the small airplane was recovered, with the bodies of the two men discovered shortly thereafter.

The Federal Aviation Administration has already commenced an investigation into this airplane accident, which is standard procedure. The aircraft was eventually pulled out of the water sometime after 9 p.m. Wednesday evening.

Orlando personal injury attorney James O. Cunningham has been representing the victims & families of aviation accidents for over forty years. If you would like to schedule a free initial consultation, please contact us today at 877-FL-INJURY.

Sources:

• Cause of fatal Lake Maitland plane crash remains unknown
• Two dead after small plane crashes near Orlando, reports say
• Crews Recover Bodies, Small Plane in Lake Maitland

James O. Cunningham

Since 1977, personal injury lawyer James Cunningham has provided effective legal advocacy to people who are injured through the negligent actions of another person or entity throughout the Central Florida area. He fights to obtain recoveries for his clients’ physical and emotional pain and suffering and pursues his clients’ personal injury cases with a commitment to excellence and impeccable preparation.