WESLEY CHAPEL, Fla. — A 59-year-old pilot is dead after a plane crashed in a residential neighborhood in Pasco County on Sunday morning, according to the Pasco Sheriff's Office (PSO).
PSO identified Michael Bailey as the lone death in the plane crash, per a spokesperson on April 20.
WATCH: Pilot in deadly plane crash in Pasco County identified: PSO
The crash occurred on April 19 in the Grand Oaks subdivision between homes on Aldus and Trinity drives in Wesley Chapel. The massive fireball was captured on security camera footage across the neighborhood.
WATCH: 'It feels like a movie scene': 1 dead after plane crashes in Pasco County neighborhood
It happened in Brandon Smith's backyard. Smith, who was asleep at the time, was jolted awake by the impact.
"I felt a really loud thud, and it shook the house," Smith said. "The next thing I know, I hear my mom yelling, there's a fire, and to get out."
He described bright orange flames shooting into the sky, with intense heat he could feel inside his house from behind his window.
The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the cause of the crash. On April 20, officials were seen picking up debris, interviewing witnesses, and gathering pieces of the wreckage.
Residents were asked to evacuate their homes following the crash.
"A neighbor said, Hey, come on, they want us all out of here, cause they're afraid of the gas line being compromised," Matthew Brumley said.
Daniel Mercado said he was asleep when the crash happened, but his wife felt the impact.
"It sounded like thunder, and she felt the ground tremble," Mercado said.
"They were inside, and they all heard like a big boom and so they ran outside," Kasey Fenton said.
The NTSB said the craft was a Cessna 401B airplane that crashed under unknown circumstances.
It departed from nearby Tampa North Aero Park, with the crash occurring around 8:35 a.m., the FAA confirmed.
The Grand Oaks subdivision sits within the flight path of that airport. And, this isn’t the first time tragedy has struck there. In May 2020, there was a similar plane crash that killed one person in the same Wesley Chapel neighborhood.
The number of crashes in the same community has left many residents on edge.
“Very uneasy. Definitely more serious conversations need to be had with my husband about the possibility and wanting to stay here,” said Kristen W.
Now, community members are demanding change. There is a petition to shut down the nearby Tampa North Aero Park airport.
"Something needs to be done," Brumley said.
Fenton, who has a 10-month-old, said she is worried and signed the petition.
"I was just, you know, so scared and just, it messed with my head all day when I was working, just thinking about that it was so close to our house," Fenton said.
The petition states in part, "These incidents are not mere accidents—they are warnings that our community's safety is at stake."
Tampa Bay 28 reached out to the airport, but they declined to comment.
WATCH: 1 dead after plane crashes in Pasco County neighborhood
The pilot was the only person on the aircraft and was killed, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
"It feels like a movie scene," Smith said while looking at the destruction in his backyard. "I'm still processing it."
For others in the neighborhood, it was a normal Sunday morning.
“I was out having my morning coffee. My kids were in the backyard jumping on the trampoline, and I happened to notice a plane coming over. My kids saw it too, and I thought, wow, it’s really low,” said Christina Galbiati.
Galbiati's doorbell camera captured the moment the aircraft went down.
“It’s bad. It's pretty much ash. I think when it landed there was fire because I smelled the fuel immediately," Galbiati said.
The NTSB said they will review the aircraft’s maintenance logs and collect surveillance video of the crash to aid the investigation. The wreckage will then be moved to a secure facility for further examination.
"It was just really a surreal moment. You obviously never expect something like this to happen to you at your house," Smith said.
Witnesses to the accident, as well as those with surveillance video or other information relevant to the investigation, are asked to contact the NTSB at witness@ntsb.gov.
"It makes you feel really bad for the pilot’s family, but at the same time very grateful it wasn’t us,” said Kristen.
The NTSB will lead the investigation, with assistance from the FAA.
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