Odessa Pilot Dead After Plane Crashes in Spring Hill Neighborhood

Spring Hill  — On 09-18-15 at approximately 8:56 a.m., deputies responded to a home on Little Farms Drive in Spring Hill in reference to a plane crash.

Within three minutes a deputy was on scene where he discovered the wreckage of a Cessna 206 Amphibian, with pontoons, in the backyard of a home located at 13088 Little Farms Drive, Spring Hill.

The pilot, Gary Cohen, 56, of Odessa, was killed in the crash. His next of kin has been notified. No one on the ground was injured.
Prior to the crash, authorities say Cohen was in contact with the Brooksville-Tampa Bay Regional Airport. There are no details at this time regarding specific communications between Cohen and the airport.

According to preliminary reports, the plane was en route to Orlando from Odessa.

Initially, the immediate area was evacuated due to fuel leakage from the wreckage. Crews from Hernando County Fire Rescue used foam to contain the fumes from the fuel.

The investigation into the plane crash has been turned over to investigators from the Federal Aviation Authority. The crash site remains closed to the public until the investigation is complete and the wreckage has been removed.