Plane Was Part Of Flight Of Two

ANN REALTIME REPORTING 01.25.09 0850 EST: Officials have confirmed one fatality in a Sunday morning takeoff accident at Sebring Regional Airport (SEF) in Sebring, FL.

Witnesses tell ANN a Remos GX light sport aircraft crashed within seconds after takeoff around 7:30 am EST. The plane was the second aircraft to take off in a flight of two formation, and started its takeoff roll about 20 seconds after the first.

The aircraft impacted the ground off the right side of Runway 18 at SEF, about halfway down the 5,200-foot runway.

The main wreckage came to rest on the grass median separating the runway and taxiway. Debris was seen on the concrete ramp adjacent to the terminal, in front of a well-known aviation business on the airport grounds.

Rescue crews were reportedly on scene within minutes. The second victim was airlifted to an area hospital. The condition of that individual is unknown at this time, and identities of the two people onboard the accident plane have not been released.

Officials with the US Sport Aviation Expo, now underway at SEF, tell Aero-News the accident did not occur within the confines of the event. Airport officials have not released an official statement as of yet.

ANN will update this story throughout the day. All details above are preliminary at this time, and subject to change as more information becomes available.

FMI: www.sebring-airport.com/