Witnesses saw planes collide in fatal Edgewater crash, NTSB spokesman says

EDGEWATER, Fla. — A mid-air collision between two small planes killed two pilots Saturday, Edgewater police said.

The planes collided and crashed in a wooded field near State Road 442, about one mile from Interstate 95.

As the planes flew over the interstate, witnesses said they saw them collide and start to descend toward the ground.

A pilot called shortly before 9 a.m. to report a mid-air collision.

The Volusia County Medical Examiner identified the pilots as Anne Edmonson, 66, of Port Orange, and Gary Somerton, 57 of Port Orange.

Photos: Double-plane crash in Volusia County 

Megan O’Keefe was heading to her daughter’s soccer game when she and her husband pointed to one of the planes that appeared to be falling from the sky.

“All of a sudden, I looked and there was debris going everywhere, so at that point, we knew there was at least one crash. We did not know that they collided,” said Megan O’Keefe.

Skywitness 9 showed debris scattered throughout the area.

According to National Transportation Safety Board spokesman Todd Gunther, the planes crashed about 200 yards apart.

The debris field covers about half a square mile, he said.

"According to witness statements, they viewed a formation flight that was in the area of I-95 just behind me," Gunther said.

The formation flight included between four and six planes, witnesses said.

Recordings from an Air Traffic Control worker detailed the scene.

“Have two aircraft down, I assume no survivors by the way it went in,” said the caller.

The FAA released a statement that said a Cessna 170 and a Grumman American AA5B collided about three miles northwest of Massey Airpark in New Smyrna Beach.

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While the planes were flying in formation, they were not practicing for a nearby air show, Gunther said.

NTSB officials said the 1952 Cessna 170 and 1977 Grumman American AA5B may have taken off from nearby Spruce Creek Airport.

“We’re trying to gather as much information as we can from the flight path that they took, altitudes and stuff,” said air safety investigator Dan Boggs.

The Federal Aviation Administration will also be investigating.

While Gunther could not comment on a possible cause of the crash, he did say investigators have found evidence that may rule out system failures on either aircraft.

"What we know so far, from looking at physical wreckage, is that there is no indication of any type of control failure on either aircraft," he said. "We have no type of structural failure that occurred before the impact sequence. In other words, all the wings, the tail, the fuselage were in place.

"We have no indication of any type of power-plant failure from any aircraft and we have no indication or evidence of any type of in-flight fire or explosion."

The Cessna 170 is registered to an owner from Port Orange and the Grumman is registered to a corporation based out of Oregon.

Cox Media Group