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Pilot Identified After Cessna Crashes Into Florida Yard, Igniting House Fire

The NTSB is examining the wreckage with a preliminary report expected within 30 days.

Overview

  • The Pasco County Sheriff’s Office identified the victim as Michael Bailey, 59, who was the only person on board and died at the scene.
  • The twin‑engine Cessna 401B that went down in Wesley Chapel around 8:35 a.m. Sunday had departed Tampa North Aero Park under circumstances investigators say are still unknown.
  • The impact sparked a blaze that damaged one home in the Grand Oaks subdivision, with firefighters knocking down the flames by about 10:30 a.m. and no injuries reported on the ground.
  • The NTSB said an investigator documented the scene and will move the wreckage to a secure facility for examination, and it asked witnesses or anyone with surveillance video to contact the agency.
  • Neighbor videos captured a tall plume of smoke, and some residents said the plane appeared to pass between houses as others pointed to several prior neighborhood crashes as a growing safety concern.