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Cedar Key Plane Crash Kills Three

Cedar Key Plane Crash Kills Three

Two men and a woman were in a fatal plane crash near the Cedar Key Airport early Saturday. The owner of the 6-seat Cessna airplane, John Borchard of Dover FL, the pilot, Frank Gonzalez of Plant City and passenger Julia Kelly of Solon, Iowa, left the airport shortly after five people in the plane arrived from Plant City.

According to a Cedar Key police officer Mr. Borchard's body was recovered Saturday, whereas divers recovered the bodies of Mr. Gonzalez and Ms. Kelly from the plane's wreckage on Sunday.

Witnesses reported a fireball soon after the Cessna took off. A search for the aircraft included helicopters starting shortly thereafter. Using sonar, the wreckage was located in 15 feet of water west of North Key, which is two miles northwest of the airport.

A Federal Aviation Administration investigation of the wreckage will try to determine the cause of the crash. Cedar Key Police Chief Virgil Sandlin said weather was not a factor in the crash.

There have been two other fatal crashes near the Cedar Key Airport in recent years, one due to fog and another following a night departure. A television news report cited an expert opinion that the Cedar Key Airport can be dangerous.

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