MULBERRY, Fla. (WSVN) — An aviation incident in Polk County claimed the life of a 76-year-old man after his brand new experimental plane crashed shortly after takeoff.
The incident occurred Tuesday morning near the South Lakeland Airport in Mulberry, located approximately 40 miles away from Tampa. The Polk County Sheriff’s Office held a press release after the crash, identifying Arthur Canning as the pilot who was killed.
Sheriff Grady Judd said Canning was a pilot for 10 years and flew ultralights for the past decade. The 76-year-old pilot flew his final flight in an experimental amateur-built aircraft that recently received its flight certificates last fall. The flight was Canning’s second attempt at piloting the plane, following its first flight less than a week ago.
“He apparently stalled and crashed directly into the ground,” Judd stated. “He immediately died as a result of horrific traumatic injuries from the crash.”
The sheriff’s office is investigating the death investigation while the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the crash.
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