Married Couple Killed In Bartow Small Plane Crash

BARTOW, FL — A married couple from Port Orange, Florida were killed Thursday when their small plane crashed into the front yard of a home in Polk County, according to first responders.

A spokesperson for the Federal Aviation Administration told Patch the Mooney M20J crashed into a residential area around 11:15 a.m.

The Polk County Sheriff's Office later identified the couple as 76-year-old Dennis Powell and his 73-year-old wife Bonnie.

"The plane was in communication with the airport and was intending to land," according to Scott Wilder of the sheriff's office. "There were no unusual or warning communications from the airplane."

Chris Jonckheer of Polk County Fire Rescue said first resopnders found the single-engine aircraft in the front yard of a home in the 4600 block of Weston Road in Bartow.

"Both occupants of the aircraft were found deceased upon the crew’s arrival," he said.

He said no residents of the surrounding area were injured. The crash occurred less than a mile from Bartow Airport.

The National Transportation Safety Board will determine probable cause of the accident, according to the FAA spokesperson.