The pilot of a small plane bound for Florida tried returning to the Gainesville airport Friday evening before crashing near a Hall County mobile home park, killing all three people aboard, officials said.
Debris from the single-engine Cessna 182 was strewn across the neighborhood Saturday morning as investigators returned to the scene. The plane crashed near Memorial Park Drive about 6 p.m., shortly after taking off from nearby Lee Gilmer Memorial Airport.
Dustin York was talking to his mother Friday evening when he heard a loud noise and looked up.
“It looked like he was trying to land safely, but it didn’t work out,” York told Channel 2 Action News at the scene.
The plane passed over a mobile home before crashing into the tree line behind it and falling into a ravine.
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
York ran to the mangled plane, hopeful he could help if there were any survivors.
“It was bad. There was nobody there, nobody left,” he said. “There was nobody to save, no one to help.”
Those aboard included Dan Delnoce, 44, of Gainesville; Courtney Flanders, 45, of Gainesville; and Matthew Delnoce, 39, of Ohio, the Hall County Sheriff’s Office said Saturday. They were on their way to Daytona Beach, flight records show.
Authorities have not said who was flying the plane, and the cause of the crash remains under investigation.
“He turned around for some reason and tried apparently to get back to the airport,” said Keith Smith, division chief of the Gainesville Fire Department. “We do not know for sure what happened.”
According to a GoFundMe page, Dan Delnoce and his wife Courtney have four children, while Dan’s brother Matthew and his wife have two children. The funds raised will help support the children and pay for other expenses. The page had raised nearly $6,000 as of Monday afternoon.
Fire officials said it was fortunate that no one on the ground was injured. Wreckage from the plane landed on one mobile home, displacing four adults and a child who were inside at the time.
“Part of the wing snapped off and landed in the bedroom of the trailer,” Smith said, adding that the family was having dinner in another room. “They were extremely lucky that nobody inside was hurt.”
Memorial Park Drive will remain closed until the National Transportation Safety Board has completed its investigation of the crash site. It’s unclear how long that could take.
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