Clearwater Plane Crash Caught On Police Dashcam

CLEARWATER, FL — A small plane crashed in Clearwater Sunday morning after the pilot said he was having engine trouble and tried to land the plane on Keene Road. The pilot and his passenger were not injured and refused medical treatment, the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office said. The crash was captured on a Pinellas deputy's dashcam video.

Deputies first received reports of the plane crash about 10:23 a.m. Sunday. The deputies were responding to an unrelated call for service in the vicinity and witnessed the plane crash.

Pilot Marc Allen Benedict, 61, said that about 9 a.m. he and his passenger, 55-year-old Gregory Guinee, both of Clearwater, had taken off in his single-engine Rockwell International aircraft from Clearwater Airpark to Zephyrhills Municipal Airport, deputies said.

Deputies say after refueling the aircraft at the Zephyrhills Airport, they attempted to return to the Clearwater Airpark. The pilot reported to deputies he believed there to be engine trouble while in the air over the area of Sunset Point Road and Belcher Road area in Clearwater.

Benedict told investigators he did not believe he could make it back to the Clearwater Airpark and began looking for a safe place to land. Benedict said he saw a deputy near the intersection of Keene Road and Sunset Point Road. Benedict said he then observed what appeared to be an opening and attempted to
land the plane on Keene Road. While landing, Benedict reported the pilot side (left wing) caught a tree causing the plane to spin and crash at 1817 North Keene Road.

The investigation into the cause of the crash is being conducted by the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board. It has not yet been determined what caused the plane to crash.

Photo via Pinellas County Sheriff's Office