The pilot told deputies he thought he had engine trouble.

PINELLAS COUNTY – Two deputies witnessed a single-engine plane crash Sunday (Nov. 19) morning on Keene Road, the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office said.

Neither the pilot, Marc Allen Benedict, 61, nor his passenger, Gregory Guinee, 55, was injured. Both refused medical treatment.

The deputies who witnessed the crash were responding to an unrelated call about 10:23 a.m. when the crash happened.

Benedict told deputies he had taken off in the single-engine Rockwell International aircraft 112-A about 9 a.m. from the Clearwater Airpark,1000 N Hercules Avenue. They flew to the Zephyrhills Municipal Airport, 39450 South Ave.

After refueling the plane in Zephyrhills, they flew back toward the Clearwater Airpark at about 10 a.m. Benedict told deputies he believed there to be engine trouble while in the air over the area of Sunset Point and Belcher roads in Clearwater.

Benedict told investigators he did not believe he could make it back to the Clearwater Airpark and began looking for a safe place to land. Benedict said he saw a deputy near the intersection of Keene Road and Sunset Point Road. Benedict said he then saw what appeared to be an opening and tried to land the plane on Keene Road.

While landing, Benedict reported the left wing caught a tree causing the plane to spin and crash at 1817 N Keene Road.

The investigation into the cause of the crash is being conducted by the FAA and National Transportation Safety Board. It has not yet been determined what caused the plane to crash.

For information about the Pinellas sheriff, go to pcsoweb.com.

Photo courtesy of the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office.

Pinellas Sheriff | Plane Crash | Keene Road Plane Crash | Tampabay News

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