Two Men Escape Serious Injury When Seaplane Crashes into Lake

Date Added: July 16, 2020 2:19 pm

Laura Williams, Office of
Public Affairs & Media Relations

SEAPLANE CRASHES INTO REMOTE WEST VOLUSIA LAKE; 2 MEN SUFFER MINOR INJURIES

Two men escaped serious injury just before 11 a.m. today when their seaplane crashed into a remote lake in West Volusia County, near Astor.

Volusia sheriff’s deputies were alerted at 10:50 a.m. by a boater who came upon the crash site in Lake Dexter, observing the two male occupants sitting on top of their overturned plane.  The two men appeared to have suffered only minor injuries, the boater told a 911 telecommunicator. The boater evacuated the victims to a nearby fish camp.

The two men were identified as pilot Larry Morton, 52, and passenger Alan Chott Kendrick, 60. The pair were practicing landings and takeoffs on the Volusia side of Lake Dexter, which separates Lake and Volusia counties, when the plane crashed. The men went by private vehicle to AdventHealth Care DeLand where their injuries were being evaluated.

Officers from the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission were assisting investigators at the scene while waiting for investigators from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to come to the crash site.

No hazards were found at the crash site as the plane had about 6 gallons of fuel. The plane remained submerged in about 5 feet of water.