Details Emerging about Plane Crash at New College; Campus Open for Classes on Monday

(SARASOTA, FL – January 13, 2013) — Details are slowly emerging about the plane crash that occurred Saturday afternoon on the New College of Florida campus, claiming the life of the pilot and leaving the passenger in critical condition with life threatening burns at Tampa General Hospital. Fortunately, no students or staff from the College were injured nor were any buildings damaged when the single engine Seawind 3000 crashed at around 3:30 pm just west of the Heiser Natural Sciences Building.
Officials from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) arrived on the New College campus on Sunday morning and began piecing together the details surrounding the crash.  While they are still not sure about the reason the plane went down, NTSB officials say the accident occurred just minutes after takeoff from the nearby Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport when the experimental kit plane failed to gain altitude and struck a tree on the New College campus. The plane then veered into a second tree before crashing to the ground in flames.
According to press reports, the plane’s pilot was John William Ardoyno, 70, of Hayward, Wisconsin. Ardoyno was killed while the plane’s passenger, William S. Jackson, 63, of Ann Arbor, Michigan, survived but was airlifted to Tampa General Hospital with second and third-degree burns covering most of his body. The NTSB confirmed that Jackson remains in critical condition in Tampa General’s burn unit.
NTSB officials plan to remove the plane’s wreckage from the New College campus on Monday morning. Along with officials from the Federal Aviation Administration, the NTSB said there are no hazardous chemicals or other impacts from the crash that would be of danger to students and staff at the College once the wreckage is removed. Until that time, however, New College Police have cordoned off the area and are asking all students and staff to remain clear while the cleanup takes place.
Based upon the recommendations of the NTSB and FAA, New College administration has determined that it is safe to conduct business on Monday, and all ISP classes and other campus operations will continue as scheduled. All campus offices will be open for normal business as well.
For more information, please contact the New College Office of Communications and Marketing at (941) 487-4150 or the New College Police at (941) 487-4210.