FORT MYERS, Fla. (WSVN) — A small plane crashed into an empty daycare center in Fort Myers and burst into flames, killing one passenger and sending the pilot to the hospital, Saturday morning.
According to the National Transportation Safety Board, a Piper PA-28 was taking off from Page Field Airport in Fort Myers, just before 8 a.m., when something went wrong.
Surveillance video captured the moment the aircraft nose-dived into the side of the building.
According to witnesses, the facility is located on the property of the global headquarters for the women’s clothing company Chico’s.
One witness said he saw the plane as it hurtled toward the ground and cartwheeled into the daycare. “He swung, clipped the tress, flipped over, hit the side of the building and blew up,” said Richard Waltman.
A plume of smoke could be seen billowing into the air from a nearby street as first responders rushed to the scene.
“Ten, 15 seconds after it hit, it had exploded pretty loud and was engulfed in flames for a while,” said another witness. “It probably went off about two more times after that.”
There were two people on board the plane at the time of the crash.
The Lee County Sheriff’s Office said the passenger was killed in the crash, and the pilot was taken to a local hospital.
The daycare building, which was empty on a Saturday and is maintained by Chico’s on its property, sustained extensive damage. Chunks of concrete are now missing from the top of the structure, and nearby awnings were torched.
Firefighters acted fast to put out the flames. “We were on scene within five minutes of the original call,” said South Trail Fire Department spokesperson Christie Knudsen.
The aircraft belonged to the Fort Myers Flying Club. Club members identified the pilot of the Piper as Anthony Greco.
“This is a horrible tragedy. I consider him to be a very experienced pilot,” said club spokesperson Mike Jackson.
The Federal Aviation Administration has been notified of the crash, as the NTSB continues to investigate. “We’ll try to get the aircraft out of here [Sunday], then we’ll move it to a secure location,” said NTSB spokesperson Dan Boggs, “and then from that, we will invite the aircraft manufacturer, the airframe manufacturer and the engine manufacturer to do a complete, detailed investigation.”
Chico’s officials informed employees they can work from home while the daycare remains closed.
Investigators said it will be hard to determine the cause of the crash because there is so little of the aircraft left after the blaze.
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