A two-engine plane crash left 5 passengers dead at the Bartow Airbase in Florida, two of those passengers were from Baltimore.
According to Polk County Sheriff's office, the pilot was 70-year-old John Shannon an attorney from the Florida area. The two Baltimore victims were his daughter, 26-year-old Victoria Shannon Worthington, a Baltimore teacher and her husband, 27-year-old Peter Worthington Jr., a third-year law student at University of Maryland in Baltimore. They also say, along with them was the pilot's other daughter, 24-year-old Olivia Shannon, a Southern University student, and a family friend, 32-year-old Krista Clayton.
According to WFTS, Polk County Sheriff reported that the plane attempted to take off close to 7:15 A.M. Sheriff Judd said he reviewed video and, "no one should have taken off from this airport at 7:15 A.M." He went on to say the airport was saturated with fog.
The dean of University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law released a statement on the death of Peter Worthington:
"Words cannot properly express the sadness felt by the Maryland Carey Law community and everyone at the University of Maryland, Baltimore over the loss of Peter Worthington, a third year law student. Our hearts and prayers go out to his friends and family and also to the friends and family of those who died with him in this terrible crash. He was a tremendous contributor to our community, and he will be terribly missed.”
Baltimore City Schools also sent out a statement about Victoria Shannon:
We are very sad to inform you that BIA has lost a staff member in a terrible tragedy. Mrs. Victoria Shannon Worthington, BIA's 4th Grade English Language Arts teacher, was killed in a small plane crash in Florida on December 24, along with three of her family members and a family friend. We are devastated by the loss of such an amazing teacher and member of our school community. She was much loved by students and staff alike and will be greatly missed. Our thoughts are with Mrs. Worthington's family as they try to cope with this tragedy during the holidays. We recognize that many of our students and staff members will also be deeply affected, and are working to ensure that grief counselors will be available for all those who need support when school resumes on Tuesday, January 2. Thank you for your support, and we will reach out to the community with any updates regarding memorial services.
Sincerely,
Kona-Facia Freeman-Nepay, Ed.D., Executive Director
Officials say the pilot was planning on flying to Key West, Florida for the holidays. The Baltimore couple arrived in Florida on Saturday to join the trip.
