Plane Crash Victim Was Former Sunrise Fire Captain
MIAMI (CBSMiami/AP) – Recovery crews will try again, Sunday, to remove the wreckage and remains of a Cessna 340 that crashed Thursday, It was headed to Virginia from South Florida but crashed into the Great Dismal Swamp.
"I hoped they were alive. I prayed they were alive and Ted is a survivor he's tough he's been through a lot and I figured that they were alive somewhere that he'd be standing on the plane saying where the hell are you guys come get us," said Cindy Haney, a neighbor of the crash victims.
Cindy Haney knew Ted and Mary Ann Bradshaw very well. She talked about her neighbors like they were family.
"We'd spend many evenings here on the porch talking, talking about the neighborhood, people here because it's a small community," Haney added.
Holding back tears, Cindy remembers the last thing she said to Ted before he left for that fatal flight Thursday to Virginia.
"Have fun, good luck; see you when you get back. The dogs were here and kids to me that I'm the only person on the block that has a dog treats and dog bowl for water that doesn't have a dog," she said.
Ted (the pilot), his wife and her sister and brother-in-law boarded the twin propeller Cessna 340 Thursday in Fort Lauderdale. They were headed to a family wedding in Virginia. Four hours after takeoff, the plane fell off the radar and never arrived at the airport. It wasn't until Friday when the wreckage was found in a swampy, hard to reach area. Mary Ann was Cindy's best friend. She also was a store manager at Walgreens where her picture still hangs on the wall and her employees tried to make it through the day.
"Crying, talking you know a lot of support from neighbors and friends," said Haney.
Ted is a retired Captain of more than 30 years with the Sunrise Fire Department. Cindy remembers he always rushed to help somebody whether he was on or off the clock.
"If anything happened like there was an altercation one day and Ted took off helped the person that needed him and that's just the way they were," Haney recalled.
Sunrise Fire-Rescue said in a statement that Theodore Bradshaw was a 33-year veteran of the department. He retired in 2005 after rising to the rank and serving as an assistant fire chief.
A department statement says "Bradshaw was known for his spirited personality, intense mentorship and his dedication to serve the community he called home for more than 40 years."
Flags were issued to be lowered to half-staff Saturday in honor of Bradshaw.
Cindy tells us she trusted ted with her life and even planned to let him fly her and her son for a college interview. Never expecting Ted would die doing what he loved.
The cause of crash is still under investigation.
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