CORAL SPRINGS, FLA. (WSVN) - The pilot and of a small plane and his wife are safe after, officials said, they were forced to make an emergency landing in the Florida Everglades, near the Sawgrass Expressway, Sunday afternoon.
According to Coral Springs Fire Rescue, the call for help from a single-engine Piper registered out of Delaware went out at around 1:30 p.m. “We received a 911 call that there was a plane that had crashed just west of the Sawgrass, just north of the bend in the Sawgrass,” said Coral Springs Fire Rescue Division Chief Mike Moser.
Officials said the pilot had a choice to either land on the highway or in the brush. He chose the latter option, narrowly missing the water as the aircraft touched down just west of a levy, near Sample Road, in Coral Springs.
FAA on scene working on their investigation. Thank goodness no one was hurt. @browardsheriff air rescue, thanks for the assist @BSO_Mike pic.twitter.com/ssBQkJHlG9
— Coral Springs-Parkland Fire Department (@CoralSpringsFD) April 30, 2017
Coral Springs, Parkland and Tamarac Fire Rescue crews responded. “Our units responded out there, [as well as] air rescue from Broward Sheriff’s Office. In fact, they were able to land on the levy first,” said Moser. “They were able to make contact with the patients, the pilot and the passenger in the plane.”
A family fishing nearby said they saw all the commotion. “Like, a lot of firefighters going through as fast as they could,” said witness Alejandra Gil.
Officials said the occupants didn’t elaborate on what may have led to the emergency landing. “The pilot and co-pilot didn’t give us any information as to what happened in the actual crash,” said Moser. “Obviously, from the pictures that we’ve seen, the aircraft was just off of the levy. We don’t know if that pilot attempted to land on the levy or not. It’s very early in the incident right now.”
No one was hurt.
Coral Springs Fire Rescue took the pilot and his wife to Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport as a courtesy.
As of Monday, the plane had not been moved from the spot where it landed. It will remain in the thick brush where it landed until crews figure out a way to remove it.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating.
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