A pilot flying a replica of a British World War II fighter died Tuesday when the plane crashed on takeoff at Lakeland Regional Airport.
The pilot was identified as David Roy Eachon, 32, of Tampa. He was killed when the experimental aircraft he designed and built — a replica of a Spitfire — crashed as his family filmed the flight, officials said.
Eachon, an experienced pilot, was airborne, about 150 feet above the runway, when the plane flipped and fell, said Jack Gillen of the Lakeland Police Department. Eachon was killed on impact.
His brother and her fiance turned over the film of the accident to police for the National Transportation Safety Board’s use in trying to determine the exact cause of the crash, Gillen said.
Sgt. Denise Mack of the Lakeland Police Department told reporters Eachon had more than 250 hours of flying time and held a commercial rating.
Mack said the man took off but the plane’s tail wasn’t leaving the ground. Witnesses told police Eachon gunned the engine for more torque and the plane became inverted, did a loop and slammed back into the runway.
Police said this was the third in a series of four scheduled flights for the homemade airplane. The last flight was conducted Monday and went off without a hitch.
Rescue personnel from the airport were at the plane within seconds after the crash.
Authorities had to remove the tail of the plane in order to reach Eachon, but he was already dead when they got to him. The accident closed the runway until the debris could be removed.
Eachon had been working on the plane, which he built from his own design, for nearly nine years, according to Lloyd Tillmann, assistant airport director.