JACKSONVILLE, Fla — One person is dead after a plane crash on a golf course near Craig Air Center in Jacksonville.
At about 6:20 a.m., the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office, Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department and Aviation Authority Police responded to a plane crash in the area of Craig Air Center on Monument Road, according to JSO.
When authorities arrived on the scene, they found the Aerolite 103, an ultralight aircraft, crashed on the nearby Blue Sky Golf Club. The pilot, identified as a 61-year-old man, died in the crash, police said.
Investigators believe the pilot took off from Craig Air Center and was practicing techniques shortly before the crash. They believe he did have flight experience, according to JSO.
“I was surprised. I didn't hear anything. So, l until you knocked on my door I didn't know anything," Mary Huffman, who lives in a home bordering the golf course, said.
Huffman has been in Arlington neighborhood for 30 years and said she hasn’t seen a plane crash before.
“This is a very, very, very quiet neighborhood," she explained.
The JSO Homicide Unit is investigating the crash. Because the aircraft does not have a tail number by design, the FAA and NTSB will not be investigating the crash.
The Federal Aviation Regulations defines an ultralight aircraft as only having one seat and is used for recreation or sport flying. They are not required to be registered, nor is the pilot required to have a certificate.