The recent plane crash in Flagler County has sadly taken the life of a seasoned pilot, Thomas Russell Harvey, who was 75 years old and hailed from Jacksonville. On Friday, the small aircraft piloted by Harvey crashed into a wooded area, leading to his untimely death, as confirmed by the Flagler County Sheriff's Office. In a statement obtained by First Coast News, Sheriff Rick Staly expressed his condolences to Harvey's friends and family.
In the wake of the tragedy, "Tommy," as Harvey was affectionately known, has been honored with tributes from those who knew him best. Art Shaffer, owner of Skydive Palatka and Harvey's friend of 39 years, shared in an interview with First Coast News that Harvey "was always smiling and laughing" and noted how deeply he would miss him. Shaffer and his team were awaiting Harvey's arrival on Friday and were monitoring his flight when he went off the radar, prompting a search that led to the discovery of the crash site 30 miles south of the airport.
Following the incident, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has taken over the investigation to ascertain the cause of the accident. Preliminary information from the NTSB suggests that Harvey left Sebastian Municipal Airport and was en route to Palatka for a skydiving mission, navigating through varying altitudes and weather conditions before making a right turn and disappearing from radar. The heartbreaking discovery was made in a swampy area around 6:40 p.m. on Friday, as reported by News4JAX.
According to the accounts from his colleagues at Skydive Palatka, Harvey, an Air Force veteran father and grandfather, was a pillar of the skydiving community. A memorial for him is being planned by the company he devoted so many years to. Skydive Palatka is already feeling his absence, with Shaffer expressing a hope to one day reunite with his friend in the skies. The NTSB has indicated that a detailed investigation could take up to two years, though a preliminary report is expected within the next month, as mentioned in News4JAX.
Investigators, lacking a black box to provide insights, will depend on radar data, weather reports, maintenance records, and the pilot's medical history to construct the sequence of events leading up to the tragic crash. Harvey's flying experience spanned over several decades with more than 9,000 flight hours and 1,800 skydiving jumps, making his sudden loss all the more shocking to the community. The loss of Thomas Russell Harvey has resonated deeply within the tight-knit group of aviators and skydivers who admired his lifetime commitment to flying, as detailed in tributes and messages from friends and family, and as told to Action News Jax.
