PLANT CITY, FL -- A single-engine plane crashed Sunday afternoon in Plant City, killing the two people on-board, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office says.
According to witnesses, the plane was seen flying very low over a field near State Road 60 and County Line Road.
Witnesses say the plane began to sputter and then nose-dived through a line of trees before crashing into the ground.
Kevin Vaneepoel was watching football on television outside when the plane crashed in the backyard. He and his father-in-law, Jayson Brown, ran to the wreckage to see if they could help the people on-board, but there was nothing they could do.
"When you actually saw the plane hit the ground, it was horrifying," Vaneepoel said. "The whole motor compartment ended up in the cockpit and it just folded over. It ripped the wings off. There were parts scattered everywhere."
No one on the ground was injured.
Representatives from the Federal Aviation Administration came to the crash site late Sunday to investigate.
The Hillsborough County Sheriff's office has identified the pilot as 53-year-old David Berman and 19-year-old co-pilot Akeem Blake of Sarasota as the victims in the crash.
