LAKELAND, Fla. – A Monday evening flight between friends turned fatal after a single-seater experimental aircraft broke apart mid-air and plummeted into a remote Polk County cow pasture.
Authorities have identified the pilot as 23-year-old Michael Robinson of Lakeland.
The crash occurred around 8 p.m. about a mile off Moore Road in Lakeland, according to Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd. Robinson had taken off from Bartow earlier in the evening to meet up with another pilot to practice flying formations over the countryside.
“It was a beautiful afternoon to do that,” Sheriff Judd said during a press briefing. “Unfortunately, it ended in horrible tragedy.”
The second pilot witnessed the disaster unfold from his own aircraft. According to Judd, the companion looked down after realizing Robinson’s plane had suddenly vanished from the formation.
“He said he looked down when he saw his partner had disappeared, just in time to see the plane apparently come apart and it immediately crashed straight down into the ground,” Judd said. “When we arrived, that’s exactly what we found.”
Emergency responders located the wreckage in the isolated pasture, confirming Robinson died at the scene. No other injuries or property damage on the ground were reported.
Officials described the aircraft as a single-seater experimental model capable of cruising at speeds near 200 mph.
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office stated Tuesday that they have no further details on what may have caused the crash. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are continuing their investigation into the structural failure.
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