Pilot tried to land twice before deadly plane crash at Spruce Creek, officials say

PORT ORANGE, Fla. — A man and women were killed in a plane crash Tuesday at the Spruce Creek Fly-In community in Port Orange, Volusia County Sheriff’s Office deputies said.

Preliminary evidence showed that the plane was attempting to land a second time after aborting its first try, possibly due to heavy fog, investigators said.

The 2009 single-engine Epic LT aircraft crashed in someone’s front yard at about 6 p.m. in the area of 22 Taxiway Lindy Loop.

The plane was trying to land on the private community’s runway.

“It kind of went over the trees and I didn’t see anything. We just heard a loud boom,” said witness Jane Loewinger.

The plane was coming from Millington Regional Airport in Tennessee.

A witness told a 911 dispatcher he had seen the plane fly into the fog and that the plane was “in an inverted flat spin when he came out of the fog."

Volusia County Sheriff Ben Johnson said weather may have been a factor, but it will be up to the Federal Aviation Administration to make the final determination.

“It may have been the fog. It could be involved,” Johnson said.

The plane crashed into a yard, but did not hit the home.

No injuries were reported by anyone on the ground.

The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the cause of the crash.

The victims were not identified.

Cox Media Group