Pinellas woman killed when water scooter collides with plane

Sun Sentinel

The Associated Press, Posted May 7 2001

SEMINOLE -- A St. Petersburg woman who was riding a water scooter died when the craft ran into the back of an ultralight plane, throwing her forward into the aircraft's whirring propeller, police said.

Mary Ann Scibelli, 52, was pronounced dead at Bayfront Medical Center late Sunday after suffering a severed arm and cut to her head, Pinellas County Sheriff's Office spokesman Cal Dennie. The incident occurred that afternoon at Lake Seminole, which is just northwest of the woman's hometown.

Witnesses said the ultralight pontoon plane landed near the center of the lake and was taxiing toward a dock when it was rear-ended by Scibelli's Sea Doo watercraft. The aircraft was manned by flight instructor John Tanner, 44, and student pilot Jeremy D. Ryan, 50.

The impact catapulted Scibelli into the plane's rear propeller, severing her arm below the elbow and knocking her unconscious, Pinellas Fire Rescue spokeswoman Alison Shanabrook said. Tanner and a man in a pontoon boat pulled Scibelli out of the water and carried her to shore, and some residents of a nearby apartment complex called 911.

Ryan and Tanner suffered minor injuries and were treated at the scene.

Shanabrook said water scooters share the lake with ultralight planes, and noted that rescue workers have never responded to a crash between the two. No charges were filed.

Copyright © 2001, South Florida Sun-Sentinel

[I wonder if they tested her for alcohol...]

-- Anonymous, May 08, 2001