Update 2 p.m. March 22: The Florida Highway Patrol confirmed Malcolm P. Clevenstine, the passenger in the plane that crashed in Palatka on Friday morning, died later that night.
Clevenstine, 71, was pronounced dead at 10:33 p.m. at Shands Health, according to an FHP release.
The plane sustained $25,000 in damage in the crash after its engine stalled, according to the release. Both men wore seatbelts.
Original: One man was in critical condition after a privately owned airplane crashed into a retention pond embankment behind a Lowe’s Home Improvement store at 10:53 a.m. on Friday in Palatka.
The small, single-engine 2008 Cessna 400 aircraft crashed near State Road 19 and State Road 100, according to Florida Highway Patrol.
Richard S. Carrara, 73, was piloting the plane with passenger Malcolm P. Clevenstine, 71, both from Palm Coast. Carrara said he was trying to gain altitude from a touch-and-go landing at the nearby Palatka Municipal Airport. The engine stalled, causing the plane to crash.
Carrara has minor injuries.