Dr. Michael Hood.Credit : Michael Hood/Facebook
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Dr. Michael Hood was killed after a small plane’s engine failed during takeoff and crashed near a Florida airport
Witnesses told officials that the single-engine aircraft “struck a power line before crashing onto the roadway”
“We all carry his torch of love and graciousness,” Hood’s daughter said after his death
A pilot was killed after a small plane hit a power line and crashed onto a Florida highway, officials said.

On Monday, Sept. 7, firefighters responded to reports of an aircraft crash near the Space Coast Regional Airport along State Road 405 around 10:16 a.m. alongside the Titusville Police Department, Brevard County Fire Rescue and Space Coast Regional Airport Aircraft Rescue, the Titusville Fire Department said in a news release.

Upon arriving at the scene, first responders discovered a small, single-engine aircraft that witnesses said had “struck a power line before crashing onto the roadway.”

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While Titusville firefighters worked quickly to extinguish the fire, the sole occupant of the small plane was pronounced dead at the scene.

“Due to the nature of the crash, detectives have not yet been able to positively identify the pilot,” the department shared in a statement.

According to NBC affiliate WBIR, the Federal Aviation Administration stated that the pilot, who was later identified by his family as Dr. Michael Hood from Tennessee, was flying a private plane when it went into engine failure at takeoff.

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Investigators said that he attempted to turn the aircraft around before crashing into trees and power lines.

The National Transportation Safety Board later identified the aircraft as a Mooney M20F airplane, a four-seater propeller aircraft, according to the BBC.

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Following his death, Hood’s daughter said in a statement to WBIR that he was a pilot “not merely for pleasure, but in service of his family and community.”

“Alongside his 45-plus years practicing as a family doctor, he worked as both a hospitalist and ER physician, often flying himself to remote and rural hospitals to cover their staffing needs,” she explained. “His love of Cocke County, its people, its music, its land, is reflected in his children and grandchildren.”

She added, “We all carry his torch of love and graciousness.”