Two men were killed and a third was injured Tuesday afternoon when an experimental gyrocopter crashed into a mobile home near Sebring, Florida, the Highland County Sheriff's Office said.
Deputies said the crash was reported shortly after 2:45 p.m. at the Sebring Falls Mobile Home Park.
Investigators said Christopher Lord, 45, was flying Christopher Brugger, 52, from Sebring Regional Airport to an airport in Manatee County when they crashed. Both men were killed on impact.
"Witnesses said the aircraft was in some kind of distress before it clipped a power line and crashed into a mobile home," said Scott Dressel, a Sheriff's Office spokesman. "Luckily, nobody was home at the time."
A man working on a neighboring home suffered burns to his arm and leg and was transported to a hospital, Dressel said.
One home was destroyed and two others were damaged by fire.
Deputies said Lord had flown thousands of hours in more than 30 models of gyroplanes and owned Gyroplaneguy Inc., which is based at Sebring Regional Airport.
The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the crash.
Anyone who witnessed the crash or who saw the aircraft in distress before it crashed is asked to call Highlands County Detective David Pearlman at 863-402-7250.
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