Notorious Florida businessman charged over deadly boat crash hit by freak plane accident caused by water bottle
Jeffry Knight is the owner of several businesses in Florida and is scheduled for court this Monday after he allegedly crashed into a ferry, killing a 41-year-old father of two.
A notorious businessman's private plane caused thousands of dollars worth of damage at an airport in Florida days before he was to appear in court for a boat crash that led to the death of a father.
Jeffry Knight's personal Cessna Chancellor Twin Piston plane struggled while approaching the runway at the Tampa International Airport around 8pm on January 4 before hitting a sign that knocked off the front landing gear while taxiing.
The well-off 62-year-old owner of multiple venues in St Petersburg was charged in July with eight felony counts of leaving the scene of a boating accident involving death and/or serious bodily injury.
Knight allegedly crashed into a packed ferry in April, killing Jose Castro, a 41-year-old father of two little girls, and injuring 10 others.
The businessman was not on the plane returning from the Bahamas on Sunday, according to the Tampa Bay Times.
David Straub Coover, a friend of Knight's, was flying the plane with two other passengers, Knight's children.
No injuries were recorded according to a Federal Aviation Administration preliminary incident report cited by the outlet.
Knight was not happy with the crash that caused $4,500 worth of damage, said Coover to the Tampa Bay Times.
Jeffry Knight's personal Cessna Chancellor Twin Piston plane crashed into a sign on Sunday in at the Tampa International Airport days before he scheduled to appear in court
Knight who was not aboard the plane purchased it for $500,000. His friend David Straub Coover was piloting it at the time of the crash [stock image]
'But he's OK, no one got hurt,' he added.
A water bottle jammed under the pedal of the landing gear caused the pilot to lose control, according to an airport police report.
However, Coover disputed the report, stating that the plane veered left before striking the sign because the brakes failed.
Knight was released on bail in July and is free to travel, with the exception of not being allowed to 'operate any vessel,' according to an unsealed bench warrant found by the outlet.
The businessman's trial is expected to start in September, but he will appear in court on Monday for a pretrial hearing.
His fortune was made in the 1980s through cable installation and now owns Jannus Live, the Ringside Café, the Pelican Pub, MacDinton's Irish Pub, and Detroit Liquors.
An airport police report said a water bottle jammed under the pedal of the landing gear caused the pilot to lose control
The flight path of Jeffry Knight's personal Cessna Chancellor as it returned back from the Bahamas