VENICE, Fla. — Venice Police are investigating a small plane crash in Venice that left four people dead.
Police said the plane crashed into the Gulf about a half mile off the Venice Fishing Pier around 9:30pm Wednesday.
Venice Police Capt. Andy Leisenring said there were several witnesses that were on the pier that saw the crash and then called 911. The plane involved is a Piper PA-32R single-engine plane that had four people on board, according to police.
Leisenring identified the four people as pilot William Jeffrey Lumpkin, 64, Patricia Ann Lumpkin, 68, Ricky Joe Beaver, 60, and Elizabethe Anne Beaver, 57. All four were from Indiana.
“After the emergency crews arrived last night, Mr. Lumpkin and Mr. Beaver were located. They were determined to be deceased upon arrival,” said Leisenring. “At 11:56 a.m., divers located the main portion of the aircraft as well as two bodies who are believed to be Patricia Lumpkin and Elizabethe Beaver.”
Venice police said the wreck is at a depth of about 23 feet. Crews were seen searching the area of the debris field on Thursday.
Police said the plane left an airport in St. Petersburg Wednesday night and flew to the Venice Airport, arriving around 5 p.m.
Police said the people on board met with friends and had dinner, then left the Venice Airport at about 9:30 p.m. Police said the plane crashed into the Gulf soon after takeoff.
“We have recovered some video footage from the Pier, and also, we have some cameras located near the airport, and those are all being reviewed, and they’ll be forwarded to NTSB,” said Leisenring.
In the process, the NTSB said part of the investigation will be to request radar data, weather information, air traffic control communication, maintenance records, and the pilot’s medical records. NTSB investigators will also look at the human, machine, and environment as the outline of the investigation.
The NTSB said the preliminary report, which includes all the factual information learned so far, is expected to publish 15 days after the accident, explaining that investigations involving fatalities and other major investigations currently take between 12 and 24 months to complete.
