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St Petersburg Police via Twitter

Two Irish men critically injured after dramatic Florida plane crash

The private aircraft hit a tree before crash landing in a park.

A PRIVATE PLANE with four Irish people on board has made a dramatic crash landing in a park in the centre of St Petersburg, Florida, local media report.

All four were treated for their injuries, with two men – pilot Grant Jordan (57) and Aloysius Ryan (52) – in stable but critical condition at a nearby hospital, according to the Tampa Bay Times.

The other two passengers – Eamonn Harnell (48), and an unnamed teenage girl – are believed to have suffered minor injuries.

Witnesses at Vinoy Park in the city said they saw the single-engine Piper Cherokee aircraft flying dangerously low at around 10.30 am (local time) on Monday.

The plane narrowly missed an apartment block, before hitting a tree in the park, which removed the left wing.

A spokesperson from Albert Whitted airport in St Petersburg told local ABC television that the aircraft had departed the nearby city of Tallahassee at 8.29 am Monday, and was scheduled to arrive in St Petersburg at 9.59 am.

The National Transportation Safety Board is currently investigating the accident, but witnesses told the local Fox television station that the plane’s engine may have failed shortly before crash-landing.

Read: Unresponsive US plane that flew over Cuba crashes off Jamaican coast>

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4 Comments
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    Mute Martin Byrne
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    Apr 23rd 2016, 9:12 PM

    Heartbreaking. Is that the best that the USA can do, with its huge resources. So many live in abject poverty.

    451
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    Mute Ann Reddin
    Favourite Ann Reddin
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    Apr 23rd 2016, 10:20 PM

    They’d sooner spend their billions on other children from far flung areas of the globe turning them into orphans and refugees. If they don’t care about their own children own whey would they care about anyone elses.

    148
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    Mute Rob O'Brien
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    Apr 23rd 2016, 10:41 PM

    Kid needs to check his privilege.

    21
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    Mute Josephine Sweeney
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    Apr 23rd 2016, 11:18 PM

    Congrats to the boy

    58
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    Mute Kate Flaherty
    Favourite Kate Flaherty
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    Apr 23rd 2016, 9:16 PM

    Poor little boy hasn’t had a great start in life, so many more out there like him, contrast this and the story about little Prince George and it’s just such a shame how one little boy has it all while another little boy has nothing!, hardly seems fair, hope his future is brighter!

    311
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    Mute Michael O'Neill
    Favourite Michael O'Neill
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    Apr 23rd 2016, 9:45 PM

    Good luck to them all. Tis hard to be a child growing up without a proper home. Hopefully they can make it through.

    233
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    Mute Rosie Murray
    Favourite Rosie Murray
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    Apr 24th 2016, 12:08 PM

    And people give out about having to stay in hotels

    31
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    Mute John Doyle
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    Apr 23rd 2016, 10:02 PM

    Wow. Poor little guy. And sometimes we have a cheek to complain about silly things

    139
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    Mute Rashers Tierney
    Favourite Rashers Tierney
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    Apr 23rd 2016, 10:09 PM

    Land of the Brave, Home of the Free. If you can cut it in the rat-race, never get ill, never get tired, never make a mistake. Given this country’s adoration of all things American, look out for a similar story in a venue near you – sooner rather than later.

    130
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    Mute Ann Reddin
    Favourite Ann Reddin
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    Apr 23rd 2016, 10:30 PM

    Has already happened, SDCC evicted a 17 year old girl from her family home on Wednesday morning after the passing of her mother last year. They wouldn’t even let the poor child back in to get her mothers ashes and left her curled up in a ball, in her pyjamas, on the doorstep heartbroken. They told her she wasn’t their concern….. an orphaned 17 year old should be everyones concern.

    169
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    Mute Peter Fechter
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    Apr 23rd 2016, 11:28 PM

    Ann…i didnt hear about this..tell us more?

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    Mute Roger Clarke
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    Apr 23rd 2016, 11:34 PM

    Please share more information on this story. Those responsible need to be called to account for their despicable behaviour. We can’t do that with sufficient information.

    45
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    Mute Ann Reddin
    Favourite Ann Reddin
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    Apr 24th 2016, 12:13 AM

    Scroll down their page – the media is too busying with other stuff!

    https://www.facebook.com/Cairdeas-Homeless-Action-Group-768034629939704/?fref=photo

    22
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    Mute Suzie Sunshine
    Favourite Suzie Sunshine
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    Apr 24th 2016, 12:30 AM

    The girl wasn’t actually living in the house ..

    25
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    Mute Ann Reddin
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    Apr 24th 2016, 1:26 AM

    You seem to know more than I do Suzie – do you know what the story behind it is? I searched the other night when I came across the post but could find nothing more about it. But the fact remains regardless of whether or not she was living there, her mothers ashes need to be returned to her.

    12
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    Mute Suzie Sunshine
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    Apr 24th 2016, 1:53 AM

    Ann , the young girl is living wuth her grandmother and they were corresponding with her at all times , she knew it was happening so I would say she had her belongings in her grandmother’s house .

    17
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    Mute Mary Duck
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    Apr 24th 2016, 2:05 AM

    When this young ladies mother was alive she used to spend a couple of nights a week in her grannies and the rest of the time at home with her mother. When her mother got sick she stayed with her all of the time. Before her mother passed her gran was diagnosed with a terminal illness and when her mam died she stayed with her granny to look after her while she was sick (and lets not forget this young girl has school and doing her leaving cert). Her grandmother is now dying and in the hospice. In February the council wrote to her and told her that because she was a minor they could not leave her in the house and that as it was a 3 bedroom house it was needed for a family. So it will probably be back to square one when her granny passes.

    31
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    Mute Smiley
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    Apr 24th 2016, 12:32 PM

    Free to live in abject poverty. God bless America. It bloody-well needs it.

    2
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    Mute Peter Fechter
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    Apr 23rd 2016, 9:17 PM

    Contemporary sociologists have a nice cuddly descriptive term for this type of non traditional family unit – “a blended family”. Its essential…mandatory even,to be non judgemental about such social constructs so i will say only…well done.

    47
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    Mute Cal McLaughlin
    Favourite Cal McLaughlin
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    Apr 23rd 2016, 11:31 PM

    You know the sad thing about this.
    In a decades time some angry feminist or rights group activist will accuse him of having had a privilieged white male existence.
    And social media will believe them.

    28
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    Mute john g mcgrath
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    Apr 24th 2016, 12:38 AM

    Ireland 5 to 10 years on ?

    18
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    Mute tonymcc
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    Apr 24th 2016, 2:18 AM

    Land of the free, home of the brave. Shocking how those in most need are let down by society.

    16
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    Mute Deborah Behan
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    Apr 24th 2016, 2:02 AM

    For the love of God tell me if I can donate to this family. I don’t have much but I will send what I have. I can’t comprehend what these people have been through. Is this America?

    16
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    Mute Cal McLaughlin
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    Apr 24th 2016, 9:06 AM

    Yeah.
    Obama’s America.
    Democrat’s America.

    2
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    Mute Ella Clarke
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    Apr 25th 2016, 12:06 PM
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    Mute Ella Clarke
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    Apr 25th 2016, 12:07 PM
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    Mute Mick McGuinness
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    Apr 23rd 2016, 9:18 PM

    thejournal.ie you are way to PC with what people want to say, shame on you.

    12
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    Mute lunadoran
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    Apr 23rd 2016, 11:35 PM

    Ah god she left the buying of his birthday cake til the middle of his birthday party. …..that’s a bit odd

    7
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    Mute emily davison
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    Apr 24th 2016, 12:16 AM

    If only the Patriarchy would come to this guy’s rescue

    3
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