Wesley Chapel plane crash: Officials identify pilot killed when plane slammed into neighborhood

Deadly Pasco County plane crash investigation

One person died after a plane crashed on Aldus Dr in Wesley Chapel Sunday morning, according to firefighters. FOX 13's Mariah Harrison reports.

WESLEY CHAPEL, Fla. - The pilot killed Sunday morning when his plane crashed in a Wesley Chapel neighborhood has been identified.

According to the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office, Michael Bailey, 59, was confirmed to be the pilot and the only person onboard the Cessna 401B airplane.

What we know:

The crash happened Sunday morning on Aldus Drive in the Grand Oaks subdivision.

Courtesy: Pasco County Fire Rescue

One home was damaged in the crash, but nobody on the ground was injured, according to officials.

One neighbor said the plane crashed between three homes.

'The pilot is a hero'

What they're saying:

"My kids were in the backyard jumping on their trampoline. They saw a low-flying plane," said Christina Galbiati, a neighbor who witnessed the crash. "I was in the front yard drinking coffee, and I saw the plane come around and thought it was very, very low, but everything looked mechanically fine. I saw the propellers spinning, no fire or anything."

"I think that the pilot is a hero. He knew that it was going down, and he found a perfect spot to land," Galbiati shared. "So he went straight in between houses, which I imagine is a pretty hard thing to do."

"He landed right in between those two unfenced yards," she added. "It takes seconds to make that decision."

Pattern of plane crashes

Dig deeper:

Neighbors said this was a part of a pattern. FOX 13 reported on a plane crash in the area in 2020.

"This is our fourth crash in this neighborhood after about a few years," Barrett said.

What we don't know:

It is unclear what caused the plane to crash.

What's next:

The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the crash.