Pilot-personal injury lawyer John Hugh Shannon, 70, dies after he crashes and burns his twin-engine 1973 Cessna 340 plane as he was trying to take off in heavy fog at the end of a runway at the Bartow Municipal Airport, Bartow, FL; he also killed his two adult daughters Olivia Shannon & Victoria Shannon Worthington who were on board, along with Victoria’s husband Peter Worthington Jr, and family friend Krista Clayton
Sunday, December 24, 2017 04:01PM
Five people died after a twin-engine plane trying to take off in heavy fog crashed at the end of a runway at an airport in Central Florida, causing a "huge fire," authorities said.
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said there were "no survivors" of the crash at Bartow Municipal Airport in Bartow, Florida.
"I have reviewed some footage, and clearly no one should have tried to a takeoff from this airport at 7:15 this morning," Judd said during a press conference this morning. "The airport was totally socked in with fog."
In a statement, officials tentatively identified the five killed as: John Hugh Shannon, 70, the plane's pilot; Shannon's daughters, Olivia Shannon, 24, and Victoria (Tori Jane) Shannon Worthington, 26; Worthington's husband, Peter Worthington Jr., 27; and family friend Krista Clayton, 32.
Autopsies will be conducted later this week to determine the official causes of death (i.e. whether they burned to death or weather they died on impact, etc.).
The plane was registered to an entity named: Aviation Transportation LLC. The address of this entity is John Hugh Shannon's Lakeland, Florida business address: 5115 South Lakeland Drive, Suite 1, Lakeland, FL 33813
Judd called the crash "a horrific tragedy" in a statement Sunday afternoon.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with the Shannon, Worthington, and Clayton families. This is a tragedy any time, but it is so much worse because it happened on Christmas Eve. We are providing all of our resources to assist them with anything they need to help them get through this horrific tragedy," the statement reads.
Judd said earlier that he personally knew at least one person on the plane.
"I have known him for years and years and years," he said.
The NTSB and the FAA are investigating the crash.
As Polk County Fire and Rescue personnel headed to the crash site they had trouble spotting the wreckage, according to radio transcriptions reviewed by ABC News.
In one dispatch, a firefighter described the limited visibility.
"Engine 461, Battalion 4, we're on scene now at the air base ... it's really foggy. We're unable to see it from our location, I'm going to try to make it out onto the airfield," the first responder radioed.
Once Polk County Fire and Rescue members found the plane wreckage, they reported the plane was "fully engulfed" in flames.
This was an obvious pilot error. He should have stuck to his law practice and avoid flying at such old age and with heavy fog.
The airport once served as the Bartow Army Air Field during World War II, according to its museum's website.
After the war, the complex functioned as a "flight school training cadets for military service" before it was turned over to the city of Bartow, the website says.
Sheriff Judd giving final update on #BartowPlaneCrash death investigation. Local attorney 70 yr old John Shannon was the pilot. John’s two adult daughters Olivia & Victoria were on board, along with Victoria’s husband Peter Worthington Jr, and family friend Krista Clayton
John Hugh Shannon has been practicing law since May 1975. For the past 25 years, he has practiced extensively in the area of injury cases, both personal injury and death. He is a member of The Florida Bar and a previous member of The Alabama Bar. He is also a member of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida, a member of the United States Circuit Courts of Appeal for both the Fifth and Eleventh Circuits, and is a member of the United States Supreme Court,
Date: 24-DEC-2017
Time: 07:20 LT
Type:
Cessna 340
Owner/operator: Aviation Transportation LLC
Registration: N247AT
C/n / msn: 3400214
Fatalities: Fatalities: 5 / Occupants: 5
Other fatalities: 0
Airplane damage: Written off (damaged beyond repair)
Location: Bartow Municipal Airport (KBOW), Bartow, FL -
United States of America Phase: Take off
Nature: Private
Departure airport: Bartow Muni (KBOW)
Destination airport: Key West Int’l (KEYW)
Narrative:
The aircraft impacted terrain during a takeoff attempt at Bartow Municipal Airport (KBOW), Bartow, Florida. The airplane was partially consumed by the post-impact fire and the five occupants onboard received fatal injuries. Weather (fog) may have been a factor to the accident.
On board were the pilot (70), his 2 daughters (24 and 26), the husband of one daughter (27), and a family friend, a woman of 32.
Sources:
http://abcnews.go.com/US/deaths-twin-engine-plane-crashes-florida-airport/story?id=51977642
http://www.fox13news.com/news/local-news/multiple-deaths-reported-in-bartow-plane-crash
http://www.wesh.com/article/several-people-killed-in-plane-crash-at-polk-county-airport-deputies-say/14493426
http://wfla.com/2017/12/24/several-people-killed-when-plane-crashes-at-bartow-airport/
http://www.wftv.com/news/local/several-people-killed-in-plane-crash-at-bartow-airbase-polk-county-deputies-say/668391660
http://edition.cnn.com/2017/12/24/us/florida-plane-crash/index.html
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http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=N247AT
https://abpic.co.uk/pictures/view/1290986
Reg: N247AT Manu: CESSNA Type: 340 ICAO: C340 CN: 3400214 Hex: A24A12 Owner: AVIATION TRANSPORTATION LLC Address: 5115 S LAKELAND DR STE 1, LAKELAND, FL, 338132565, US Date Reg: 20170508 Old Status: First Notice for Registration Renewal New Status: Valid Registration
Olivia Shannon & Victoria (Tori Jane) Shannon Worthington
Victoria (Tori Jane) Shannon Worthington, along with Victoria’s husband Peter Worthington Jr
Victoria (Tori Jane) Shannon Worthington, along with Victoria’s husband Peter Worthington Jr
