Two Tampa Bay area medical professionals were killed Thursday morning when their small plane crashed in Hillsborough County.
Officials identified the pilot as Dr. David Siambanes, 59, and the passenger as Dawn Stone, 53.
Simbanes was a surgeon with Bonati Spine Institute, while Stone worked for AdventHealth.
The crash happened in a wooded area off North U.S. 301 in Tampa.
Fire officials say first responders found the plane was heavily involved in fire when they arrived just after 8 a.m. But they were quickly able to bring it under control.
Authorities say the single-engine light aircraft took off from the nearby Tampa Executive Airport.
In a Facebook post on Thursday, Bonati Spine Institute wrote:
"Our hearts are heavy this evening as we learned about the passing of Dr. David Siambanes who died in a plane crash this morning in Tampa. He was a respected pediatric spine surgeon here who spent his career caring for children with severe cases of cerebral palsy and scoliosis. He helped a tremendous number of kids and families over the years. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, his children, his patients and his colleagues."
AdventHealth issued the following statement:
“We are heartbroken by the passing of Dawn Stone, a valued and deeply cared-for member of our AdventHealth family. Dawn dedicated herself to caring for others and her loss is deeply felt by the colleagues and care teams who had the privilege of working alongside her. Our thoughts and prayers are with Dawn’s family, loved ones and colleagues as we mourn her loss.“
Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Authority will try to determine the cause of the crash.
