A Florida father and his 11-year-old son have been identified after losing their lives in a small plane crash near Williston Regional Airport last weekend.
Jacob Harnett and his son, Carter, were returning home to Key West following a hunting trip in Kentucky when their plane went down, according to a GoFundMe fundraiser organized by loved ones.
The fundraiser notes that Jacob is survived by his partner, Tiffanie, and their 3-year-old daughter, Faith.
“Jacob was a pillar of the Key West fishing community who, originally raised in coastal Maine, built his fishing charter business over the span of two decades,” wrote Jacob’s uncle, Andy Harnett. “Carter was the pure embodiment of a blissful kid born and raised in Key West.”
He added, “Both were larger than life. Jacob’s booming laugh could be heard from a mile away, just like Carter’s beaming smile could be seen. They will be missed to no end by Tiffanie and their daughter Faith, their families, friends, and community.”
According to WTVJ, Jacob, 41, was the owner of DeepEnd Charters, a popular fishing company in Key West.
Harnett’s uncle said Jacob was always drawn to the water, describing him as a hardworking fisherman who made his home and living by the sea. “Key West is not an easy place to make a living, but Jacob surrounded himself with local people who understood what it takes to make it there,” he said.
He also recalled Jacob as a devoted father who spent his free time with his kids — walking, biking, and cheering from the Little League sidelines. “She just adored him,” he said of Faith’s love for her dad. “It was pretty fun to see him holding Faith, just this big bear of a guy holding this little peanut.”
Jacob’s uncle remembered how he cherished cooking for his family after long days at sea. “He’d come home smelling like fish, leave his clothes at the door, and start whipping up dinner for Tiffanie and the kids,” he shared. “Their house was the place where all the neighborhood kids came to play.”
Carter, he said, mirrored his father’s kindness and joy. “The kid was just a big smile all the time, very generous, just like his dad. He was a great athlete. We were really looking forward to seeing him grow up.”
The Tampa Bay Times reported that the pilot, 33-year-old Spencer Arnold, was also killed in the crash. An online memorial notes that Arnold was raised in Bowling Green, Kentucky, and is survived by his husband, Ben Johnson, and his mother, Cinda Arnold.
“In 2019, Spencer moved to Saint Petersburg, Florida, to pursue his lifelong dream of becoming a pilot at ATP Flight School. What began as a passion quickly grew into a calling,” the tribute said. “By 2020, he had founded CloudLine Air, his own flight contracting business — a reflection of his determination, skill, and fearless heart. Spencer’s favorite moments were in the air, taking sunset flights that painted the sky with the same warmth he brought to everyone who knew him.”
A day after the crash, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) confirmed on X that it was “investigating the crash Sunday of a Beech 58P one mile northwest of Williston Regional Airport, Williston, Florida.”
When contacted on Oct. 10, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) stated it could not respond to media inquiries due to a lapse in funding caused by the federal government shutdown. The NTSB issued a similar response regarding the status of the investigation.
