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Bodies recovered in Lake Harney plane crash, officials say

By WFTV Web Staff and Michael Lopardi
By WFTV Web Staff and Michael Lopardi
The bodies of three people were recovered Saturday night from a plane that crashed into Lake Harney Friday, according to officials with the National Transportation Safety Board.
Search crews found the sunken plane Saturday near the Seminole-Volusia County line, investigators said.
Authorities cannot confirm how long it will take to recover the plane from the lake due to poor visibility.
Three people were on board the Connection 900 "King Air" plane when it went down in Lake Harney at about 11:30 a.m., Federal Aviation Administration officials said.
Deputies with Seminole and Volusia counties were involved with the search.
The pilot was identified as Kamalesh Naik, 56, of Sanford.
The two passengers were identified as Men Tao, 22, and Hou Xupeng, 23, both Chinese nationals who were staying in Sanford.
The FAA said the aircraft was on its way to Orlando-Sanford International Airport.
George Tanner was fishing on his boat when he heard about the crash.
“They first approached me to ask if I had seen a low-flying plane because they were still looking for the crash site, but I didn’t hear anything,” Tanner said.
The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the cause of the crash.
Commercial Training Solutions, which owned the plane involved, released the following statement:
“Commercial Training Solutions can confirm that a King Air aircraft that crashed in Lake Harney, Florida this morning involved one of our employees and two trainees. We extend our heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of the victims of this tragedy. We are awaiting updates from local authorities on developments around this incident, and will cooperate fully with the FAA and the NTSB in the ongoing investigation. No further information is available at this time."

Cox Media Group

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