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Two killed as Cessna crashes into Florida homes
ESPN.com news services
Updated: July 10, 2007, 11:40 AM ET
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SANFORD, Fla. -- A small plane registered to the late chairman of NASCAR crashed into a suburban Orlando neighborhood Tuesday after attempting to make an emergency landing, killing both people aboard and starting two house fires that seriously burned two adults and a 10-year-old boy.
Matt Minnetto, a fire investigator with the Sanford Fire Department, said two people aboard the plane were confirmed dead in the crash and the plane itself was scattered in several pieces. At least three people were injured in one of the homes, including a boy who had burns over 80 to 90 percent of his body, Minnetto said.
The identities of the dead were not immediately released, but the Daytona Beach News-Journal reported on its Web site that Dr. Bruce Kennedy, husband of International Speedway Corp. official Lesa France Kennedy, died in the crash.
A NASCAR spokesman in Charlotte, N.C., said the public relations staff was "in the information-gathering stage" but he had no further details.
Competitor Liaison is registered under the name of William C. France, the late chairman of NASCAR, according to online records from the Department of State Division of Corporations show. His brother, James C. France, is listed as an officer of the company, and children Lesa France Kennedy and Brian France are listed as vice presidents.
Both homes were largely gutted by the flames, and smoke could be seen rising from the neighborhood where the plane went down around 8:40 a.m., authorities said.
The other home was believed to have been empty, but there were questions about whether another member of the injured family, a toddler, might be missing, Minnetto said. He said authorities hadn't yet determined if the other child was at the home at the time.
The plane was traveling from Daytona Beach to Lakeland when the pilot declared smoke in the cockpit. The pilot was attempting to land at the Orlando Sanford International Airport when the plane crashed about a mile or two north of the airport, Bergen said.
A message left with an airport spokeswoman was not immediately returned.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
ESPN.com news services
Updated: July 10, 2007, 11:40 AM ET
Comment
SANFORD, Fla. -- A small plane registered to the late chairman of NASCAR crashed into a suburban Orlando neighborhood Tuesday after attempting to make an emergency landing, killing both people aboard and starting two house fires that seriously burned two adults and a 10-year-old boy.
Matt Minnetto, a fire investigator with the Sanford Fire Department, said two people aboard the plane were confirmed dead in the crash and the plane itself was scattered in several pieces. At least three people were injured in one of the homes, including a boy who had burns over 80 to 90 percent of his body, Minnetto said.
The identities of the dead were not immediately released, but the Daytona Beach News-Journal reported on its Web site that Dr. Bruce Kennedy, husband of International Speedway Corp. official Lesa France Kennedy, died in the crash.
A NASCAR spokesman in Charlotte, N.C., said the public relations staff was "in the information-gathering stage" but he had no further details.
Competitor Liaison is registered under the name of William C. France, the late chairman of NASCAR, according to online records from the Department of State Division of Corporations show. His brother, James C. France, is listed as an officer of the company, and children Lesa France Kennedy and Brian France are listed as vice presidents.
Both homes were largely gutted by the flames, and smoke could be seen rising from the neighborhood where the plane went down around 8:40 a.m., authorities said.
The other home was believed to have been empty, but there were questions about whether another member of the injured family, a toddler, might be missing, Minnetto said. He said authorities hadn't yet determined if the other child was at the home at the time.
The plane was traveling from Daytona Beach to Lakeland when the pilot declared smoke in the cockpit. The pilot was attempting to land at the Orlando Sanford International Airport when the plane crashed about a mile or two north of the airport, Bergen said.
A message left with an airport spokeswoman was not immediately returned.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
