Photos for Headline Surfer® / This 1983 fixed-wing Beechcraft A36 Bonanza aircraft crashed into some trees in the vicinity of Venetian Bay, at Airport Road and Pioneer Trail outside the New Smyrna Beach city limits 3:30 p.m. Monday. The pilot, Lee Kraus, was able to walk away from the crash with minor injuries to his face. The cause of the crash is being investigated.NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. -- Authorities say a small airplane crashed near New Smyrna Beach on Monday afternoon, setting some trees on fire in the process, but the pilot, who was alone in the fixed-wing aircraft, was treated on scene for minor facial injuries.
Lee Kraus, the 1983 Beechcraft A36 Bonanza's owner and pilot, escaped with only minor injuries to his face in the 3:30 p.m. crash that resulted in a wing catching fire and spreading to nearby trees before responding units from the New Smyrna Beach Fire Department extinguished the flames, said Andrew Gant, a Volusia County Sheriff's spokesman.
The plane went down in the vicinity of Venetian Bay, at Airport Road and Pioneer Trail. Several residents heard the crash and called 9-1-1 after running outside and seeing trees on fire.
Lee Kraus, the 1983 Beechcraft A36 Bonanza's owner and pilot, escaped with only minor injuries to his face in the 3:30 p.m. crash that resulted in a wing catching fire and spreading to nearby trees before responding units from the New Smyrna Beach Fire Department extinguished the flames, said Andrew Gant, a Volusia County Sheriff's spokesman.
The plane went down in the vicinity of Venetian Bay, at Airport Road and Pioneer Trail. Several residents heard the crash and called 9-1-1 after running outside and seeing trees on fire.
Lee, a Connecticut resident where the plane is registered, also owns a home in the nearby Spruce Creek Fly-In gated community.
What caused the crash is unknown, but it will be investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board.