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Small plane hits school, killing pilot

The Sarasota elementary school was empty when the single-engine seaplane crashed and burst into flames.

SARASOTA - A seaplane hit an elementary school and crashed Saturday, bursting into flames and killing the pilot, officials said.

There was no immediate report of injuries on the ground, according to police and the Federal Aviation Administration.

The Seawind 3000 took off from Sarasota on its way to Venice, about 17 miles south, when it reported a problem and attempted to turn back, said Kathleen Bergen of the Federal Aviation Administration.

Then it hit Tuttle Elementary School, she said. Police said it clipped the building and crashed nearby.

"It crashed and burst into flames," said Jay Frank, a Sarasota police spokesman.

Officials said the pilot, the only person on board, was the only victim.

"We thought there were two bodies but there was only one," Frank said. "It's very well contained, not much debris."

He said a police officer first spotted the plane flying low before it crashed shortly after 6 p.m.

The plane was registered to Wilfred Frost of Newalla, Okla. No one answered the telephone at Frost's home.

The Seawind 3000 is a fixed-wing, single-engine kit plane with a propeller, according to the registration with the FAA.

[Last modified June 19, 2005, 00:38:17]