SARASOTA, Fla. (AP) _ The pilot who died after his small plane crashed near the Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport has been identified.
Authorities say 70-year-old John Ardoyno of Hayward, Wisconsin, was killed in Saturday’s crash.
His passenger, 63-year-old William Jackson of Ann Arbor, Michigan, was badly burned.
No other injuries have been reported.
Sarasota County Fire Department spokeswoman Capt. Susan Pearson says the seaplane crashed as Ardoyno tried to take off from the airport.
Pearson says the plane could not gain enough altitude.
Witnesses told the Sarasota Herald-Tribune (http://bit.ly/UWJvl1) the plane was flying low and dipping in the air.
The National Transportation Safety Board is on scene to investigate the crash.
