Winter Haven plane crash victims identified as loved ones pay tribute

WINTER HAVEN, Fla. - Tributes are pouring in for the four people killed Tuesday afternoon when two planes collided midair over a Winter Haven Lake. 

The victims include Faith Irene Baker, 24; Zachary Jean Mace, 19; Randall Ebert Crawford, 67 of Pennsylvania; and Lou DeFazio, 78, of Texas. 

Officials say Baker was a pilot and instructor with Sunrise Aviation. She was in a Cherokee Piper 161 fixed-wing plane with Mace, who was a student at Polk State College. 

Investigators with the Polk County Sheriff’s Office say the plane was being operated by Sunrise Aviation on behalf of the college. 

Baker’s church honored her in a social media post on Wednesday morning asking people to pray for her husband and parents as they navigate through this difficult time. Baker is the one in the middle with a plaid shirt and black jeans.

DeFazio and Crawford were together in a Piper J-3 Club which was operated by Jack Brown’s Seaplane Base. 

The Base took to social media on Wednesday to honor the two men. 

The post calls DeFazio was an instructor and dear friend while recognizing Crawford as a seaplane enthusiast and long-time customer of the Base. 

Jack Brown’s Seaplane Base added that it is working with local authorities, the FAA and NTSB as the investigation continues. 

Both planes involved in the crash ended up in Lake Hartridge Tuesday afternoon, and one of the planes was recovered from the water Wednesday afternoon. The other plane remains submerged in the lake. 

According to NTSB, preliminary evidence indicates the Cherokee Piper was doing "pattern work" at the airport. They were practicing touch-and-go maneuvers and completed them. Meanwhile, the Piper J-3 Club was about to enter its "normal approach" for Lake Jessie, where Jack Browns Seaplane Base is located.

A full preliminary report is expected to be released in the coming weeks. A full and final report could be completed in 12-18 months.

A view from SkyFOX shortly after the crash shows one plane that is partially submerged. Officials say the second plane is 21 feet under the water.  

The routes the planes were on and the cause of the crash is unknown. NTSB and FAA officials will be investigating the cause and circumstances of the crash.

A representative from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office says authorities have secured the area so the federal agencies can take over. 

Boaters are being asked to avoid Lake Hartridge until further notice.