Crash Report: Lake Hartridge, Winter Haven, FL
Report ID: 2023 March 7
NCIC#: Unknown
OFFICER ID#: Unknown
Traffic Unit 1: Plane
Traffic Unit 2: Plane
Occupants: Four
Injuries/Fatalities: Yes
Vehicle Damage (If Any): Yes
Property Damage (other than vehicles): No
Road Surface Condition: Clear Conditions
Manner of Crash Impact (Single Vehicle, Angle, Left Turn, Rear-End, Head-On, Sideswipe, U-Turn, Other, Unknown): Unknown
Location of Pedestrian/Cyclist (If Any): N/A
Narrative
Two planes crash on March 7th while navigating Lake Hartridge, killing all four occupants involved. Authorities were first made aware of the crash around 2:05p.m. One of the planes was found in the water, 21 feet under, when a dive team arrived on the scene around 4:30p.m. The two planes that crashed were a Piper J-3 Cub and a Cherokee Piper 161. Faith Irene Baker, 24, was the pilot of the Cherokee Piper. She was joined by Zachary Jean Mace, 19. Zachary was a student at Polk State College. This plane was owned by Sunrise Aviation. Randall Elbert Crawford, 67, and an unidenitifed individual were the two occupants in the Piper J-S owned by Jack Brown’s Seaplane Base. The following first responder departments assisted with the crash: the Winter Haven police and fire departments, the Dundee Fire Department, and the Polk County Sheriff’s Office and Fire Rescue. The community was asked to not go onto the lake until the investigations were concluded. The Sheriff’s Office had already begun an investigation and the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board were both expected to begin investigations as well.
By using information found in The Palm Beach Post, this sample report was able to be made. However, this sample report is not an official document and should not be treated as such. You can easily get a real copy of your official Florida crash report for free by filling out this fast form, if you do need official documentation of a crash you were involved in.