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Husband, wife identified in deadly plane crash into Lake Arietta

Witnesses told police the plane entered the lake at a steep angle before catching fire when it hit the water.

AUBURNDALE, Fla. — The couple that died in a small plane crash into Lake Arietta in Auburndale on Friday has been identified.

John Schmalz III, 70, and Lynann Kurr, 62, of Winter Haven, Florida, were the two passengers in the deadly plane crash, Auburndale police report. 

The husband and wife were flying in a Lake LA-250 Renegade amphibious aircraft when witnesses told police the plane's wing dipped before it entered the lake "at a steep angle" before catching fire when it hit the water.

The crash happened at around 12:49 p.m. Friday. First responders responded to a small fire burning on the lake near the 2100 block of Kirkland Lake Drive. 

Members of the Auburndale fire department deployed a rescue watercraft and immediately recovered the body of a woman, later identified as Kurr. It wasn't until 4 p.m. when the Polk County Sheriff's Office marine unit was able to recover Schmalz from the wreckage of the plane, Auburndale Police Department reports. 

The FAA and The National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the crash.

RELATED: Officials: Husband, wife die after plane crashes into Lake Arietta

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