TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) – Five people are dead after a charter plane crashed into Lake Okeechobee, according to the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office.
A representative for the FAA confirmed the twin-engine Piper aircraft took off from Tampa International Airport Friday afternoon before it went down around 3:30 in approach to Pahokee Airport in Palm Beach County.
A Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office dive team recovered five bodies from the aircraft’s fuselage.
The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office has identified the people recovered from the plane as 45-year-old Eduardo Mulet of West Palm Beach, the pilot, 73-year-old Eric Peterson of Lighthouse Point, 36-year-old Matthew Fiorello of Palm Beach Gardens, 43-year-old Heather Bridwell of Jupiter, and 54-year-old Edwin Mortell III of Stuart.
Peterson, Fiorello, Bridwell and Mortell were all attorneys at Peterson Bernard, a law firm based in Florida.
Their deaths will be investigated by the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office while the crash will be investigated by the FAA and NTSB, authorities said.
A TIA representative confirmed the plane was a charter flight that originated from Sheltair Flight Services.
Sheltair has declined News Channel 8’s requests for comment, deferring questions to the NTSB.