Pilot Killed In Escambia County Plane Crash

Florida Pensacola 42-year-old Darren Meek of Pace was killed when his plane went down near Ferguson Airport in Pensacola.

by Jamie Burch

Published: Tue, January 06, 2009 - 11:57 am CST Last Updated: Tue, January 06, 2009 - 4:39 pm CST

4:37 p.m.
- The pilot has been identified as 42-year-old Darren Meek of Pace.

1:02 p.m.
- The plane flew advertising banners over Gulf Coast beaches.
- A witness told News 5's Debbie Williams that he heard the plane having trouble. The plane flew over his hangar. He heard a couple of pops and then saw the plane make a hard left and drop pout of the sky.

11:57 a.m.
The Escambia County Fire Department is on the scene of a deadly plane crash near Ferguson Airport in Pensacola.

According to Lt Ackerman, the plane went down in a wooded area around 10:45 a.m. The pilot of the small single engine plane was killed in the crash.

Vicki Rocha told the Pensacola News Journal that she was pulling weeds at her home on Cessna Drive when she saw the plane trying to land.

"He made a sharp turn and that's when I heard a boom and saw the smoke," Rocha said. "I think he was trying to land; the wind was making the plane wobble all over the place."

News 5 has a crew on the scene and will have the latest tonight on News 5 at 5:00 and 6:00.

News 5 first reported this story as BREAKING NEWS on wkrg.com.
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