NTSB, FAA investigating deadly plane crash in Polk County

POLK COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) - The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Authority are investigating a deadly plane crash that happened Monday night in Polk County. Sheriff Grady Judd said one person died when a single-seat aircraft went down near Moore Road on Monday evening. "This is a tragic evening for a young man, his family, and friends," Judd said. According to the sheriff, the victim took off from Bartow, his friend left from Lakeland in a separate aircraft, and then the two headed to fly formations over a rural area in the county. "It's beautiful countryside, it was a beautiful afternoon to do that, unfortunately, it ended in horrible tragedy," Judd said. Investigators said the dispatch center received a 911 call about the incident around 8 p.m., when one of the pilots said the other aircraft went down approximately 1 mile west of Moore Road. "He saw the plane come apart, or a piece come off the plane, and it immediately dropped straight down between the pine trees," Judd said. "It is an experimental aircraft, and that's how it's classified." As of Monday night, PCSO was notifying the victim's next of kin. The sheriff's office will handle the death investigation. The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Authority will investigate the cause of the crash.