Three victims IDENTIFIED: 4 killed as 2 planes collide midair before plunging into Florida lake
Natalie Ross
Published Jan 19, 2026
WINTER Safe house, FLORIDA: Upwards of four individuals were killed after two planes crashed while flying over Lake Hartridge in Winter Sanctuary, Florida on Tuesday, Walk 7, policing said. Zachary Jean Mace, 19, an understudy at Polk State School, Confidence Irene Bread cook, 24, a pilot and flight educator with Dawn Flying, and Randall Elbert Crawford, 67, an occupant of Carlisle, Pennsylvania, were three of the survivors of the accident, as per the Polk Region Sheriff’s Office.
Polk District Sheriff’s Office Head of Staff Steve Lester said that one plane was “to some extent lowered while the other plane was totally lowered,” reports The Sun. He added that one of the planes was found 21 feet under the water. Both the planes’ objections and the way of their crash are obscure. The occurrence is being investigated by both the Public Transportation Security Board and the Government Aeronautics Organization.
What planes were associated with crash? During a past public interview, Polk Province Sheriff’s Office Head of Staff Steve Lester expressed that no less than one individual had died and it was conceivable that extra lives had likewise been lost.
“We really do have one affirmed expired,” he expressed. “We really do accept that there are potentially others perished.” The examiners had the option to distinguish a portion of the casualties in particular Confidence Cook, 24, Zachary Mace, 19, and Randall Crawford, reports WTSP.
A Flautist J-3 Club seaplane from Jack Earthy colored’s Seaplane Base and a Cherokee Flute player 161 fixed-wing airplane show to Dawn Flying through Polk State School are the two airplanes engaged with the heartbreaking accident. As per policing, and the fourth casualty were in the Flute player J-3 Club, while Cook and Mace were in the Cherokee Flautist 161.
(US) – Four Killed In Mid-Air Collision Over Lake Hartridge In Winter Haven, Florida
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office identified three of the four victims as 24-year-old flight instructor Faith Baker, 19-year-old Polk State College student Zachary Mace and 67-year-old…
— ShuttleTV (@shuttletvnews) March 8, 2023
‘NTSB, FAA will research the reason and conditions’ “My heart goes out to the families and companions of the people who were killed in the present accident. The NTSB and FAA will explore the reason and conditions of the crash,” Polk Province Sheriff Grady Judd guaranteed in a proclamation.
“If it’s not too much trouble, keep the families in your requests during this troublesome and upsetting time.” Representatives are presently participated in a recuperation activity subsequent to guaranteeing that the four individuals who were harmed in the mishap were the only ones in the two planes. Furthermore, they are as yet attempting to figure out who the fourth individual is.
Polk State School is in profound distress in the wake of learning of the passings of understudy pilot Mace and Dawn Avionics flight educator Dough puncher. “Our Polk State School family is crushed by this misfortune,” Polk State President Angela Garcia Falconetti said. “We stretch out our most profound sympathies to their families, companions, and partners.”