4th Victim Identified In Mid-Air Collision Near Winter Haven Airport

WINTER HAVEN, FL — The names of four people who died when two small planes collided over Lake Hartridge near the Winter Haven Regional Airport were released by authorities Wednesday. There were no survivors.

Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd on Wednesday said a Piper J-3 Cub seaplane operated by Jack Brown's Seaplane Base in Winter Haven and a Cherokee Piper 161 fixed-wing plane operated by Sunrise Aviation in Ormond Beach on behalf of Polk State College collided in the air over the lake around 2 p.m. Tuesday. Both planes fell into the water, where one was visible just about the lake's surface and the other was at the lake bottom, 21 feet below the surface.

Those killed in the crash are: Faith Irene Baker, 24, of Winter Haven, a pilot and flight instructor with Sunrise Aviation who was flying the Cherokee Piper 161, and her passenger, Polk State College student Zachary Jean Mace, 19, of Winter Haven.

Randall Elbert Crawford, 67, from Carlisle, Pennsylvania, was flying a Piper J-3 Cub. His passenger was Louis C. Defazio, 78, of Fredricksburg, Texas, and Winter Haven. Both men were killed, the Polk County Sheriff's Office said.

All four of those in the two planes have been identified and their next of kin have been notified.

Both planes were still in the lake and expected to be recovered Wednesday by a contractor working with the National Transportation Safety Board.

The NTSB, along with the Federal Aviation Administration, will investigate the cause and circumstances of the crash.

Related: 1 Dead After 2 Small Planes Collide Mid-Air Near Winter Haven Airport

The four people were the only occupants of the planes, said Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd.

"My heart goes out to the families and friends of those who were killed," he said. "Please keep the families in your prayers during this difficult and stressful time."

The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration have sent investigators to Winter Haven to determine the cause of the collision and why it occurred.

Winter Haven Police Chief David Brannan posted a message on social media asking residents who boat on the Chain of Lakes to stay off Lake Hartridge.

"Recovery efforts of the downed aircraft continue to be challenging," he said. "Notification will be sent as soon as it is clear for boat traffic to continue into Lake Hartridge through the north section of the Chain.

Because the NTSB, FAA, Polk sheriff's office and fire rescue, and Winter Haven police and firefighters are on the scene, Brannan also asked that people refrain from adding to the activity by going to the boat ramp or park to watch the recovery efforts.

Located at 2073 U.S. 92 W, Winter Haven Regional Airport, also known as Gilbert Field, is classified by the FAA as a regional general aviation airport. The airport covers 520 acres and is surrounded by four lakes: Lake Hartridge, Lake Mariana, Lake Jessie and Lake Pansy. It has two runways, five taxiways, a terminal, T-hangars and conventional hangars along with a fueling facility.

Runway 5/23 is a 5,006-foot long by 100-foot wide asphalt runway oriented in a northeast/southwest direction.

Runway 11/29 is 4,001 feet long and is oriented in a west-northwest and east-southeast direction just off Lake Hartridge.

There are about 150 planes, mostly small-engine, based at the airport, and the airport reports about 60,000 take-offs and landings each year.

The last time there was a fatal crash at the airport was on Feb. 25, 2019. A 1974 Hawker Beechcraft C23 registered to Skyway Leasing and operated by Tailwheels ETC lost power during the takeoff climb and crashed into a home about a half mile west-northwest of the airport. The pilot-instructor was killed but a student pilot walked away from the crash, according to the NSTB.

After investigating the crash, the NSTB ruled the accident was caused by the pilot’s improper placement of the fuel selector valve during takeoff and his failure to maintain adequate airspeed following a total loss of engine power resulting in a stall.

Contributing to the accident was the failure of maintenance personnel to detect the lack of proper markings on the fuel selector stop and fuel selector valve shroud at the last 100-hour inspection, said the NSTB in its report.

The medical examiner said the pilot died of “blunt impact to head and torso.”

A teen girl in the home at the time was injured.