Aircraft Incident at Sun ‘n Fun
On Tuesday, April 2, 2019 at 12:11 pm, a 1978 Beachcraft Barron twin-engine experienced difficulty while attempting to land at the Sun ‘n Fun Air Show. The airplane’s nose gear collapsed, causing it to skid down Runway 27R to a stop. Onboard the plane was pilot, John Quinlan, age 72 of Claxon, Georgia and his wife Kathryn. Both occupants were not injured.
Lakeland Fire Department responded with the Aircraft Rescue Firefighting (ARFF) vehicle and checked for fuel leaks and a potential fire making the scene safe.
The runway was closed down for approximately 50 minutes as emergency personnel responded to the scene. The airplane was moved to a secure location and FAA personnel responded to the scene for a preliminary investigation.
