{"id":3717,"date":"2026-06-17T15:35:33","date_gmt":"2026-06-17T15:35:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tampamovingjournal.com\/?p=3717"},"modified":"2026-06-17T15:35:33","modified_gmt":"2026-06-17T15:35:33","slug":"pilot-killed-in-polk-county-plane-crash-identified","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tampamovingjournal.com\/?p=3717","title":{"rendered":"Pilot killed in Polk County plane crash identified"},"content":{"rendered":"<div><div><div>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3716\" height=\"432\" src=\"https:\/\/tampamovingjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/edbcbc4206d84e63c12c71f2acd16941.webp\" width=\"764\" srcset=\"https:\/\/tampamovingjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/edbcbc4206d84e63c12c71f2acd16941.webp 764w, https:\/\/tampamovingjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/edbcbc4206d84e63c12c71f2acd16941-300x170.webp 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 764px) 100vw, 764px\" \/><\/figure>\n <span>article<\/span><\/div> <div><div><p><span>A 23-year-old pilot was killed in a plane crash in Polk County on Monday night, according to the Polk County Sheriff&#8217;s Office.\u00a0<\/span> <!-- --><\/p><p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/tampamovingjournal.com\/?p=3714\">Florida man vanishes during solo bicycle trip from Jacksonville to the Keys: SLCSO<\/a><\/p> <!-- --><\/div><\/div> <!-- --><\/div> <!-- --> <!-- --><p><span><strong>LAKELAND, Fla.<\/strong> &#8211; <\/span>Officials have identified the pilot killed in a plane crash that occurred Monday night in Polk County.<\/p> <p>Michael \u2018Cole Robinson, 23, died when his experimental, single-seater plane broke apart and crashed in a cow pasture, according to the Polk County Sheriff\u2019s Office.<\/p> <!-- --><h2>Deadly Polk County plane crash<\/h2> <!-- --><div><\/div> <!-- --><p>What we know:<\/p> <!-- --><p>Investigators said that Robinson and his friend were planning to fly in formation the night of the crash.<\/p> <!-- --><p>According to PCSO, Robinson took off from Lakeland, while his friend departed from Bartow.<\/p> <!-- --><p>At about 7:54 p.m. Monday, authorities received a 911 call reporting that a plane had gone down.<\/p> <!-- --><p>Firefighters said they reached the aircraft within five minutes, finding the wreckage in a cow pasture and woods about a mile west of Moore Road.<\/p><p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/tampamovingjournal.com\/?p=3711\">Florida e-bike safety bill: What to know about proposed rules and speed limit changes<\/a><\/p> <!-- --><p>Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said during a news conference that the surviving pilot told investigators that he wrote down the exact location where his partner disappeared.<\/p> <!-- --><p>He reported seeing a piece come off the low-wing aircraft just in time to watch the plane come apart and crash straight into the ground.<\/p> <!-- --><p>What we don&#8217;t know:<\/p> <!-- --><p>While the second pilot witnessed the plane come apart, investigators have not determined exactly what caused the fatal malfunction.<\/p> <!-- --><h2>Plane Crash Investigation<\/h2> <!-- --><p>What&#8217;s next:<\/p> <!-- --><p>The FAA and NTSB will be continuing the investigation as to why the plane crashed.<\/p> <!-- --><p>Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd is expected to provide an update on the deadly crash during a press conference on Wednesday afternoon.<\/p><p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/tampamovingjournal.com\/?p=3707\">A problem hiding in plain sight is keeping Americans from buying homes<\/a><\/p> <!-- --> <!-- --> <!-- --> <\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Officials have identified the pilot killed in a plane crash that occurred Monday night in Polk County.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3715,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[232],"tags":[233],"class_list":["post-3717","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-polk-county","tag-polk-county"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - 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