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Two Die After Plane Crashes Into Florida Trailer Park

A small plane crashed into a Florida trailer park, killing the pilot and one person in a mobile home, authorities said.
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A small plane crashed into a Florida trailer park Tuesday, killing the pilot and a person on the ground while sparking a fireball that engulfed two homes, authorities said.

Surveillance video showed the Piper Cherokee flying on its side before crashing into the Mar-Mak Colony Club in the Lake Worth area around 5:30 p.m.

The pilot, who authorities have not identified, was completing a round-trip flight between Lantana and Orlando, said Dan Boggs, an investigator with the National Transportation Safety Board. Investigators believe the pilot was traveling alone, he said.

The Lantana airport is about three miles from the crash site.

The cause remains unknown, Boggs said. The pilot did not make any emergency radio calls, he said.

The plane hit one home, killing someone inside, Boggs said. Authorities have not released the identity of that person.

Image: Smoke from the scene of the crash
A plume of smoke hangs over the trailer park in Lake Worth, Florida, on Tuesday.Chet Hirshfeld / NBC Florida

Domingo Galicia told NBC station WPTV he was in his mobile home when the plane slammed into the bedroom where his daughter, 21-year-old Banny Galicia, was sleeping.

"Banny, Banny, Banny, come here, come here," he said, describing the moment he attempted to call out to his daughter. He could only see smoke, however, and did not see her emerge from the fiery wreckage.

"We heard the bang and we came outside to look and saw the flames and smoke," said 44-year-old Tyrone Caswell, who was working at a nearby car dealership when he heard the crash. "It was very, very close to us. It was just across the street. I just saw a lot of smoke and flames in the trees and then a lot of emergency response — they were here quick."

The fire damaged a second home, Boggs said.

The Red Cross said it was providing "emergency assistance" to 10 adults.

Image: Smoke from the scene of the crash
The scene near where a light aircraft crashed into the trailer park near Lake Worth, Florida, on Tuesday.NBC Florida

Captain Alberto Borroto, with the Palm Beach County Fire Rescue, told WPTV that firefighters started an "aggressive attack" against the blaze. The fire personnel "brought it under control, kept exposures to a minimum to the two homes, no surrounding homes were affected," he said.