Who Is John Shannon? Florida Plane Crash On Christmas Eve Kills Prominent Lawyer

A family flight to Key West ended in tragedy Sunday when the small plane crashed and killed all five people on board. Among those was the pilot, John Shannon, a prominent Florida Lawyer.

Shannon, 70, was a former marine who owned an ran an independent law firm in Lakeland, Florida, for 36 years, WTVT reported. The law firm specialized in serious injury, death and insurance claims, according to its website.

Shannon was described as an “accomplished pilot” and was the president of the Lakeland Republican Club. He was also actively involved with the Citric Center Kiwanis Club and ran for the House of Representatives in 2014.

Also killed in the crash were Shannon’s two daughters, Olivia and Victoria, Shannon’s son in law, Peter Worthington Jr. and family friend Krista Clayton. The group was headed to Key West Sunday for a day trip.

“His real love was his girls,” friend and former state Rep. Neil Combee told the Tampa Bay Times. “He was mother and father to his girls.”

Other friends and family echoed those sentiments.

“He would want to be remembered as a good father,” Shannon’s friend, Ben Hardin, told the Tampa Bay Times. “That was his life.”

The twin-engine Cessna 340 Shannon was piloting left Bartow Municipal Airport early in the morning but crashed shortly after takeoff. Authorities said all those on board died instantly.

“There was no chance of survival — ever,” said Polk Sheriff Grady Judd in a news conference. “The crash is so horrific that no one suffered. This is an absolutely horrific tragedy, especially on Christmas Eve.”

The cause of the crash was not yet identified, though dense fog covered the area Sunday morning and authorities described conditions as not conducive to flying. The National Transportation Safety Board was investigating the crash.