TAMPA, Fla. — The greater Tampa Bay medical community is in mourning following a devastating aviation accident on Thursday that claimed the lives of two highly respected healthcare professionals. Dr. David Siambanes, a renowned pediatric orthopedic surgeon and founder of a specialized children’s scoliosis center, and Dawn Stone, an accomplished nurse practitioner specializing in bone health, were killed when the high-performance aircraft they were traveling in crashed into a wooded area shortly after takeoff.
The fatal incident, which occurred near the Tampa Executive Airport, has prompted a multi-agency federal and local investigation. As colleagues, patients, and aviation authorities grapple with the sudden loss, tributes have poured in for the two medical professionals, whose careers were dedicated to improving the mobility, health, and quality of life for countless children and adults.
Main Facts
The accident involved a single-engine Lancair Evolution, an advanced, high-performance kit-built aircraft. According to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) records and local reporting by the Tampa Bay Times, the plane was registered to a corporate entity associated with Dr. Siambanes.
The flight took off on Thursday afternoon from the vicinity of the Tampa Executive Airport, located in eastern Hillsborough County, with an intended flight path heading north toward North Carolina. Shortly after lifting off, the aircraft experienced catastrophic difficulties and plunged into a heavily wooded area near U.S. Highway 301, igniting a post-crash fire and leaving no survivors.
The victims were identified as:
- Dr. David Siambanes, 59: A widely recognized pediatric orthopedic surgeon who served as the director of a prominent children’s scoliosis center in Tampa. Dr. Siambanes was a licensed pilot with considerable flight experience and was at the controls of the aircraft, according to regional news reports.
- Dawn Stone, 53: A dedicated nurse practitioner affiliated with AdventHealth, where she specialized in comprehensive bone health and orthopedic patient care.
Emergency response teams, including Hillsborough County Fire Rescue and the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, rushed to the scene following emergency calls from witnesses who reported seeing the aircraft descend rapidly before impact. Despite the swift deployment of first responders, both occupants were pronounced dead at the scene.
Chronology of Events
Thursday Afternoon: Preparation and Departure
The sequence of events began early Thursday afternoon as Dr. Siambanes and Stone prepared for an interstate journey. Flight plans filed and reviewed by investigators indicate that the Lancair Evolution was scheduled to fly from the Tampa area to a destination in North Carolina.
Dr. Siambanes, an experienced aviator who frequently utilized private aviation for travel, conducted pre-flight checks before taxiing to the runway at Tampa Executive Airport. The airport, situated in a bustling commercial and residential corridor of Hillsborough County, handles a high volume of corporate and private general aviation traffic daily.
The Crash
Shortly after departure—estimated by witnesses and preliminary radar tracking to have occurred within minutes of takeoff—the aircraft began to exhibit severe operational anomalies. Air traffic control logs and witness statements compiled by local outlets indicate that the plane failed to gain the necessary altitude and altitude stability.
At approximately midday, the Lancair Evolution veered off its intended trajectory and plummeted into a densely wooded, swampy area near the airport perimeter close to U.S. 301. The impact was violent, instantly destroying the composite airframe of the kit-built plane and triggering a localized fire that necessitated a rapid response from local firefighters to extinguish the flames and secure the perimeter.
Immediate Aftermath and Recovery
First responders arrived within minutes of the initial emergency alerts. Due to the challenging terrain of the wooded crash site, recovery efforts took several hours. Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) were dispatched to the scene by Thursday evening to establish a temporary command post, secure the wreckage debris field, and begin the meticulous process of evidence collection.
Supporting Data and Background on the Victims
Dr. David Siambanes: A Pioneer in Pediatric Orthopedics
At 59 years old, Dr. David Siambanes was a towering figure in the specialized field of pediatric spinal deformities. Throughout a career spanning decades, he dedicated his life to treating complex musculoskeletal conditions in children, most notably scoliosis, kyphosis, and severe spinal trauma.
Dr. Siambanes earned his medical degree and completed rigorous residency and fellowship training before establishing himself as a leading authority in pediatric orthopedics in Florida and across the United States. As the founder of a dedicated children’s scoliosis center in Tampa, he provided advanced surgical interventions and conservative treatments for young patients suffering from debilitating spinal curvatures.
Beyond clinical practice, Dr. Siambanes was recognized nationally for his public health research. He gained widespread media attention for his pioneering studies investigating the long-term impact of heavy school backpacks on the developing spines of children and adolescents. His research served as a catalyst for educational campaigns implemented by school districts across the country aimed at reducing the physical strain placed on growing children.
Public records indicate that Dr. Siambanes was an aviation enthusiast who held a valid pilot’s license and valued the flexibility that private piloting afforded his busy professional and personal schedule.
However, alongside his professional accolades, public court records from the Hillsborough County Clerk of Court show that Dr. Siambanes had faced four medical malpractice lawsuits over the past decade. Legal filings and specific clinical details regarding these cases were not immediately made fully available by court clerks, and medical malpractice claims are a matter of civil record that do not preclude a practitioner’s active standing or licensing unless formally adjudicated by the state medical board.
Dawn Stone: A Compassionate Leader in Bone Health
Dawn Stone, 53, was widely celebrated within the Tampa medical community as a compassionate, highly skilled, and deeply knowledgeable nurse practitioner. Working with AdventHealth, Stone specialized in bone health, metabolic bone diseases, and orthopedic patient rehabilitation.
Colleagues remember Stone as a tireless advocate for her patients, many of whom suffered from chronic, painful conditions such as osteoporosis, osteopenia, and post-operative orthopedic trauma. Her clinical acumen bridged the gap between complex surgical interventions and long-term patient recovery, ensuring that individuals received personalized, holistic care.
Her loss leaves an immense void within the AdventHealth network and the broader nursing community in West Central Florida, where she was known as a mentor to younger nurses and a pillar of patient-centric advocacy.
The Aircraft: Lancair Evolution
The aircraft involved in the crash—a Lancair Evolution—is a high-performance, four-seat, pressurized composite kit plane known for its speed and advanced avionics. Designed to be built by amateur or professional builders from kits supplied by the manufacturer, the Evolution can cruise at speeds exceeding 300 knots and is favored by experienced private pilots for long-distance cross-country travel. Aviation safety experts note that while kit planes offer exceptional performance capabilities, they require rigorous maintenance schedules and specialized pilot familiarity given their high-speed flight profiles.
Official Responses and Investigations
NTSB and FAA Investigations
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), in coordination with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), has assumed primary jurisdiction over the investigation into the cause of the crash.
Federal investigators arrived at the Hillsborough County site early Friday morning to map the debris field, recover onboard avionics and instrumentation data, and examine the wreckage components. According to preliminary statements released by the NTSB, a preliminary report detailing the factual findings of the flight’s final moments is expected to be released within 30 days, while a comprehensive, definitive determination regarding the probable cause of the accident may take up to 12 to 24 months.
Investigators are examining multiple potential contributing factors, including:
- Mechanical integrity: Analyzing the engine, propeller assembly, flight control surfaces, and fuel systems.
- Environmental conditions: Evaluating local weather patterns, wind shear, visibility, and density altitude at the time of takeoff.
- Human factors: Reviewing Dr. Siambanes’ flight logs, medical history, communications with air traffic control, and pre-flight routines.
Local Officials and Medical Institutions
Local leaders, law enforcement agencies, and healthcare organizations have expressed profound grief over the tragedy.
In a statement released Friday morning, representatives for AdventHealth honored the memory of Dawn Stone, highlighting her exceptional contributions to patient care and expressing deepest condolences to her family, friends, and coworkers. Similar statements of sorrow and remembrance were issued by medical colleagues who worked alongside Dr. Siambanes, emphasizing his unwavering dedication to his young patients and his substantial contributions to orthopedic science.
Hillsborough County emergency management officials and local law enforcement commended the rapid response of firefighters and paramedics who contained the post-crash fire and secured the hazardous industrial and wooded environment surrounding the crash site.
Implications of the Tragedy
Impact on Pediatric Orthopedic Care in Tampa
The sudden and untimely passing of Dr. David Siambanes creates an immediate operational and emotional challenge for the regional medical community. As the founder and driving force behind a major children’s scoliosis center in the Tampa Bay area, his absence leaves a critical shortage of specialized pediatric spine surgeons.
Hospital administrators, medical boards, and regional healthcare networks are expected to coordinate transitional care plans to ensure that young patients currently undergoing complex scoliosis treatments, pre-surgical evaluations, and post-operative rehabilitation experience minimal disruption to their ongoing medical regimens.
Scrutiny on General Aviation Safety
The accident has also reignited localized conversations regarding general aviation safety in high-density urban and suburban corridors across Florida. The Tampa Executive Airport, situated near major thoroughfares like U.S. 301, handles substantial private and corporate air traffic. While airports maintain strict safety zones and adherence to FAA guidelines, tragic incidents involving kit-built high-performance aircraft inevitably prompt renewed discussions among aviation safety advocates regarding pre-takeoff protocols, engine monitoring systems, and emergency preparedness for single-engine aircraft operating in congested airspace.
A Community in Mourning
Ultimately, the overriding impact of Thursday’s tragedy is deeply human. Families whose children walked upright and pain-free because of Dr. Siambanes’ surgical precision, and patients whose bone health was restored through the compassionate guidance of Dawn Stone, are left to mourn the loss of two extraordinary professionals who dedicated their lives to the healing arts.
As the NTSB continues its painstaking work to uncover the mechanical and environmental truths behind the Lancair Evolution crash, the Tampa medical community stands united in remembrance, honoring the enduring legacies of Dr. David Siambanes and Dawn Stone.
