Two well-known Flagler County residents and business owners survived a plane crash over Plantation Bay early this afternoon, but with serious injuries, and the plane is a total loss.
Joel Fallon, 50, owner of Granny Nannies of Flagler and St. Johns counties, was at the controls of a Beechcraft single-engine plane built in 1969 with co-pilot Josh Rosa, 36, owner of Flagler Air Exchange, a business at the Flagler County Airport, when the plane developed mechanical difficulties. The plane had just taken off from the Flagler airport, on its way to DeLand. It went down in an uninhabited area of Plantation Bay, on its western section, not far from high-power electric lines.
The plane is co-owned by Flagler County Property Appraiser Jay Gardner, who was near the scene of the crash this afternoon, spending a lot of time comforting Fallon’s wife, Lynn, who had driven there.
A golfer on the fourth hole of a golf course at Plantation Bay saw the plane go down and immediately called 911 at 1:29 p.m.
“They’re both good pilots, so they didn’t just fly into the ground. Something happened,” Gardner said. Fallon has close to 400 hours of experience flying. Rosa, he said, has “a ton of flight time.”
Of Fallon, Gardner said, “him and I have been partners in that airplane about a year or so,” he said of Fallon.
“They got hurt, they’re cut up and bruised up and banged up,” Gardner said, “but they both were talking. Joel was apologizing to me for wrecking the airplane. I’m like, dude, what do I need to tell your wife? I was able to tell her he looked better than I expected, I looked at him, he was talking to me, he recognized me, he was talking to me, so it’s good.”
The plane, he said, “is trashed.” The plane is registered to Bad Aero Inc., a company owned by Gardner since 1995.
“There’s nothing left of it,” he continued. “It’s done. I mean, it’s not like they’re salvaging this airplane. The wings are off of it, fuselage was stuck in the trees.”
Fallon and Rosa were airlifted to Halifax hospital in Daytona Beach by Flagler County FireFlight and Volusia County’s AirOne emergency helicopters. They’d veen extracted after rescuers made their way to the crash scene with machetes and chain saws.
“One patient has multiple broken bones and we have not been able to assess the injuries of the second patient,” Flagler County Fire Rescue Chief Don Petito said in a county release issued in mid-afternoon. FireFlight pilot Todd Whaley and paramedic Prince Mack had spotted the plane shortly after the 911 call.
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office had secured the scene before turning it over to the National Transportation Safety Board, which will conduct an exhaustive investigation and release a series of reports over the next many months.
Jack Howell says
Thank God they survived! Best wishes for speedy recovery.
Layla says
The “landing” was a little rough, just grateful they both survived.
RayD says
Sad news. Both are very nice guys. Lets hope and pray for the best.
Flatsflyer says
Too many of these small planes buzz our neighborhoods. I hear them stalling and restarting engines all the time. Why aren’t they required to have mufflers on their engine? They also fly too dam low, guess they can’t figure out what 750 feet is.
palmcoaster says
Flatsflyer you are correct and this low buzzing planes over our homes all the time practicing with studemts or just showing off are a serious danger to homes and residents lives and worst of it all some, most or whatever number of this aircraft do not even carry insurance and are allowed to take off and fly above heavily populated Palm Coast.
Algernon says
Flatsflyer and palmcoaster – where’s your sense of decency. These two men almost lost their lies and all you can do is complain about other aircraft. How about a little compassion and concern for their recovery somewhere in your messages?
A couple of the issues you mention may have merit, but it’s the FEDERAL Aviation Administration which issues the flight rules, not the Flagler County or Palm Coast Avation Authorities. Suggest you direct your complaints and suggestions in that direction
woodchuck says
Can”t we DRIVE to Deland?it is a whole 20 minutes away.
CJ rosa says
What if my dad (Josh Rosa) just wanted to get away from all the traffic and just want to go flying with his buddy ….. Why say something like that my dad is in critical condition to be ejected out of a plane at 80 feet and the plane land on you is pretty serious!!
Palm coast resident says
Woodchuck, why drive to the grocery store when it’s 5 minutes away? These children could of lost their father and your worried about the mode of transportation and others are complaining about the riddle students. Is going for a plane ride just not allowed these days. Sometimes things happen and there’s nothing we can do about it. That’s why accidents are called accidents. They are accidental. Your just jealous you can’t fly a plane, so your stuck driving your car to deland which is in fact further than 20 minutes. How do u think pilots get hours and experience? Not by driving a damn car. CJ, I’m sorry you and your family are going through this. Your dad loves you guys and that is why he is strong and fighting for his life.
joshua fallon says
I want to thank you all for praying my dad he’s walking and healing very fast keep praying this
Dale Brown says
Amen…. Just had the opportunity to meet Joel in harbor freight parking lot.
He is truly a blessed man, surviving a plane crash.
God isn’t finished with him yet!!!