YULEE, Fla. — A terrifying scene unfolded Saturday morning in Yulee, just yards away from a family home, when a single-engine plane crashed near Blackrock Road, killing the pilot, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
The crash has left the neighborhood shaken, with residents in disbelief after learning a plane went down in their community.
Pictures taken by a homeowner show bright orange flames and black smoke rising from the wreckage in her backyard. Homeowner Lynne Pilkerton expressed her shock, saying, “It scares me to death.”
The Florida Highway Patrol confirmed that only one person, the 56-year-old pilot, was on board the plane.
One homeowner on Ashford Road Court, who woke up to the crash that also caught part of her fence on fire, was thankful to be safe. When she arrived at the scene, the plane was covered with a tarp, but remnants of the aircraft could still be seen scattered just feet from her home.
“I jump out to look out at our back door and I saw black smoke,” said homeowner Frank Lawler.
Neighbors were also awakened by the crash, and the severity of the situation quickly became clear.
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Although weather conditions were calm at the time of the crash, moments later, the situation shifted dramatically.
“Within 10 seconds, it was pouring rain,” recalled homeowner Edith Lawler.
“The rescue squads got here within like 30 seconds,” added Pilkerton.
The crash occurred in a wooded area of the 96060 block of Blackrock Road, just north of State Road 200, around 9:35 A.M. The plane, a Piper PA-32R, had departed from Clearwater Airpark and was en route to Fernandina Beach Municipal Airport, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
“To be right outside the airport and to go down is frightening,” said Pilkerton.
As the community comes to terms with the tragedy, Pilkerton wonders about the final moments of the unidentified pilot.
“Maybe he purposely missed everybody. Maybe he knew he was going down,” she said.
Investigators are now working to determine the cause of the crash, as families in the neighborhood continue to process the tragedy that struck so close to their homes.
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