Two Men Injured in Leesburg Aviation Accident
Two pilots narrowly escaped with their lives this past Friday morning when the single-engine aircraft they were flying crashed shortly after takeoff, just at the edge of a runway near the Leesburg International Airport in Lake County.
According to initial investigative reports from the Leesburg Police Department, the two-seater Beechcraft Skipper, predominantly used in training exercises, took off from the airport at approximately 10 a.m., and quickly returned just a few minutes after ascension. Of the two men aboard the aircraft at the time of the accident, one was an experienced flyer and instructor, and the other was a student trying to hone his craft. It has yet to be determined if they were involved in a training session or attempting a training maneuver at the time of the crash.
It was originally thought by airport personnel and emergency response teams that the airplane had crashed down into Lake Harris. However, after arriving to what they thought was the scene of the accident, it was deduced by rescuers that the aircraft had instead touched down in the swampy marsh area that surrounds much of the Leesburg Airport.
“It’s Florida swamp. It’s muck and mud up to about your mid-thigh. One of the firefighters actually heard someone yell back, and at that point, we all converged on that location,” Leesburg Police Sgt. David Robison said in a statement to local ABC news affiliate WFTV9.
Once recovered from the wreckage, both men were transported to Leesburg Regional Medical Center, where they have been listed in stable condition with non-life-threatening injuries.
The Federal Aviation Administration is currently conducting its own investigation into this case, which is standard procedure in any aircraft accident.
Thankfully no one was severely injured in this plane crash, but sometimes the outcome is much, much different. For over forty years, the Law Offices of James O. Cunningham, P.A. has been representing the victims of aviation accidents in Orlando and the surrounding areas. If you would like to schedule a free initial consultation, please contact us today at 877-FL-INJURY.
Sources:
- Pilot, passenger survive plane crash at Leesburg Airport
- 2 hurt after small plane crashes in Leesburg
- 2 injured when plane crashes into marshy area in Leesburg
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.
