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Plane May Have Stalled Before Plunge Into Bay

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By KEITH MORELLI

kmorelli@tampatrib.com

Published: December 25, 2008

ST. PETERSBURG - Witnesses to January's single-engine plane crash into Old Tampa Bay said they saw the plane bank right and then left, then sweep up into the air before stalling and plunging into the water, according to federal investigators.

Before that, there appeared to be some confusion as to which landing strip at the St. Petersburg/Clearwater International Airport the Cessna 172-L was using.

The crash killed a Pinellas Park man and his parents.

The report, a finding of facts, was issued by the National Transportation Safety Board. A ruling on what caused the crash may come within a month or so. The report said the Cessna was in fine shape, even though it was more than three decades old. Investigators even managed to start the engine after it was fished out of the water.

The pilot, James P. Bellamy, 31, was an experienced pilot and toxicology tests on him and his parents, Gordon, 55, and Susan, 53, of Palatka, showed negative results for alcohol and drugs.

The cause of death for all three was drowning, coupled with blunt trauma caused by the impact with the water, the report said.

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