![The scene of the plane crash that claimed five lives on Christmas Eve.[image courtesy of Polk County Sheriff's Department]](https://staticr1.blastingcdn.com/media/photogallery/2017/12/25/660x290/b_502x220x82/the-scene-of-the-plane-crash-that-claimed-five-lives-on-christmas-eveimage-courtesy-of-polk-county-sheriffs-department_1748321.jpg "The scene of the plane crash that claimed five lives on Christmas Eve.[image courtesy of Polk County Sheriff's Department]")
Five people, four of whom were Family Members perished in a tragic Plane crash on Christmas Eve in Florida. The crash occurred shortly after takeoff, and authorities believe foggy weather conditions experienced at the time could be the cause of the accident, according to Fox News reports.
According to Polk County Sheriff Judd Grady, the twin-engine Cessna 340 carrying five passengers, took off from Bartow Municipal Airport, located 40 miles east of Tampa, a few minutes past 7 AM Sunday.
Shortly after, the plane crashed and burst into flames killing all the passengers on board instantly.
Sheriff Grady said Polk County Fire and Rescue managed to put out the fire, but there was no chance of survival adding that it was a terrible tragedy especially as it occurred on Christmas Eve.
Family members on board
Authorities identified those on board as 70-year old John Shannon, who was also the pilot and a practicing attorney from Lakeland Florida, his two daughters, a son-in-law and a family friend.
The two sisters were, Olivia Shannon 24, and Victoria Shannon Worthington 26, who was in the company of her 27-year-old husband, Peter Worthington Jr. The family friend was identified as Krista Clayton 32, a teacher from Lakeland and a mother of two.
According to the flight plan, the plane was headed to Key West where the family and friend were to spend their Christmas Eve and return later on the same day.
In an interview with the New York Times, Cindy Barrow, the Executive Director of Bartow Airport said the control tower was closed for Christmas Eve due to the dense fog. But experienced pilots like Mr. Shannon could take-off on their own.
Barrow added that take-offs in such foggy conditions required experience as a pilot had to depend wholly on instruments as opposed to looking outside.
45 minutes before the ill-fated plane took off, the National Weather Service in Tampa had reported low visibility in local airports and a dense fog forecast as the morning progressed.
Dense foggy conditions
At the time of the crash, an airport employee who was taking a video of the foggy conditions captured the sound of the plane crash.
Sheriff Grady later reviewed the footage and observed the weather was not conducive for take-off, as visibility was less than one-fifth of a mile.
Grady described the pilot, John Shannon, as experienced and said further investigations would determine the exact cause of the tragic accident
The Sheriff said it was obvious that the dense fog had soaked the plane's engine and other parts. The Sheriff added that the FAA and NTSB were to investigate the cause of the crash.
