WINTER HAVEN, Fla. — Two small planes collided on Tuesday afternoon in Winter Haven, and four people have died, according to officials. NTSB investigators were on the scene Wednesday to provide additional details about how the crash happened.

The Polk County Sheriff’s Office said the planes involved in the crash were: A Piper J-3 Cub seaplane operated by Jack Brown’s Seaplane Base in Winter Haven and a Cherokee Piper 161 fixed-wing plane operated by Sunrise Aviation (Ormond Beach) on behalf of Polk State College.

NTSB officials said that based on preliminary information, Cherokee Piper 161 was doing pattern work at the Winter Haven Municipal Airport. They were practicing touch-and-go maneuvers and had completed several of the maneuvers in a left-hand traffic pattern.

Piper J-3 Cub, which NTSB officials described as a high wing airplane, was maneuvering over the lake to enter the normal approach for Jack Brown’s Seaplane, investigators said.

Officials with NTSB said that because this was a midair collision, it will be important to determine the angle of impact of the two airplanes, but first, they must get them out of the water, which has poor visibility.

The Federal Aviation Administration said the planes crashed into the water at about 2 p.m. The location was near the Winter Haven Municipal Airport. 

Winter Haven Police and Winter Haven Fire responded to Lake Hartridge, a 437-acre public park, to investigate.

Steve Lester, Polk County Sheriff chief of staff, said at 5 p.m. that one person had died and called the scene a “search and rescue.” The Polk County Sheriff’s Office later said that four people were killed and that this was now a “recovery operation.”

Lester said one plane was completely submerged 21 feet under water, and the other plane had been partially submerged.

The Polk County Sheriff’s Office released the identities of the four people who died in this crash.

They include Faith Irene Baker, 24, of Winter Haven, a pilot/flight instructor with Sunrise Aviation (Cherokee Piper 161); Zachary Jean Mace, 19, of Winter Haven, a student at Polk State College (Cherokee Piper 161); Randall Elbert Crawford, 67, from Carlisle, Pennsylvania (Piper J-3 Cub); and Louis C. Defazio, 78, from Fredricksburg, Texas (and Winter Haven, Fla.) (Piper J-3 Cub).

Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd released a statement on the crash saying, “My heart goes out to the families and friends of those who were killed in today’s crash. The NTSB and FAA will be investigating the cause and circumstances of the collision. Please keep the families in your prayers during this difficult and stressful time.”

Both planes are expected to be recovered sometime on Wednesday by a contractor working with the NTSB, sheriff's office officials said.

Once the planes are recovered, the radar and weather data will be analyzed by experts to find out how this crash happened.

“Our Polk State College family is devastated by this tragedy,” Polk State President Angela Garcia Falconetti said. “We extend our deepest condolences to their families, friends, and colleagues.”

Here is a map of the Lake Hartridge area:

The NTSB said it will put out a preliminary report in two to three weeks, and in 12 to 18 months, it will release a factual report and probable cause.