At least three homes had fire damage, Ehlers said. Aside from the home that was directly struck, the people in the other homes were able to get out, he said.
The pilot of the Beechcraft Bonanza V35 had reported an engine failure before the crash, the FAA said.
Rick Renner, who lives in the neighborhood, said his house shook with the impact of the plane’s crash landing.
“We heard what we thought what was like a motorcycle go by or something. Then a few seconds later it was a loud bang, the windows actually shook, the house shook,” Renner said in an interview that aired Friday on NBC’s “TODAY” show.
He ran to the crash site and took video of the fiery scene.
“Even after the fire was out, you really couldn’t even tell there was a plane in there, everything was just gone” he said.
Renner said the crash is a shock to the community where “everybody is friends,” adding, “It’s just weird that something like this happens in your neighborhood.”
Helicopter video from NBC affiliate WFLA of Tampa showed a field of debris, including what appeared to be all or part of a home, and firefighters using flashlights at the scene as smoke rose. Firefighters were putting water on one structure with a firehose.
The National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the crash, the FAA said.
The pilot had reported mayday at a nearby airport and then the aircraft went off the radar around 3 miles north of the runway, which is where the mobile home park is, Ehlers said.
Ehlers said he expected more injuries and more damage with a plane crash in a compact residential area.
“We were very fortunate,” he told reporters at the scene.
