PEMBROKE PINES, FLA. (WSVN) - One person has died and two others were taken to the hospital after a single-engine Cessna plane crashed on the east side of North Perry Airport.
7Skyforce hovered over the scene on Friday, where Pembroke Pines Fire Rescue crews were seen removing three people from the aircraft, even administering chest compressions to one person who was loaded in to an ambulance.
“[Federal Aviation Administration] air tower, traffic control. Alert plane down, east side of the airport,” said a dispatcher over Broadcastify police scanner.
Fire rescue told 7News that the plane problems began during takeoff, at around noon.
“We’re going to abort takeoff,” said an air traffic controller. “There was a problem with that airplane.”
It would crash just east of a runway.
“Caller advised North Perry Airport, airplane crashed in the field at the end of the runway,” said a dispatcher over Broadcastify police scanner.
“They said there was some kind of emergency,” said student pilot Ryan Olenick. “They shut down pretty much the entire airport. They weren’t letting anyone land or take off.”
First responders pulled the surviving victims from the plane and transported them to an area hospital with critical injuries.
The deceased victim’s body was pulled from the Cessna 172 hours after the crash.
“It’s sad. It’s really sad,” said Jhoan Arango, a pilot.
The plane’s tail number is listed at N697FL, which, according to the flight tracking website FlightAware, is registered to the Aeroflyin Corp. based in Pembroke Pines.
On the plane, there was logo for the ICARO Learn 2 Fly Flight School, located at 1600 E. Airport Road. The aircraft is featured in several pictures on the school’s Instagram page.
Others who frequently fly out of North Perry heard about the crash and arrived at the scene. They were concerned that someone on board might be someone they know.
“Hearing these things, kind of like puts me on the edge,” said Arango. “I came over here to make sure that no one that I know was in that plane. I do have a lot of friends who fly out of here. They’re students, some are already pilots, some own, and so, it’s sad.”
According to flight records, the plane last took off from the Orlando Executive Airport just before 5 p.m. on Tuesday, traveling just over 90 minutes to North Perry Airport, where it landed just before 6:30 p.m.
Friday night, 7News cameras captured the wreckage of the Cessna, surrounded by police tape and covered with a tarp, still at the scene of the crash. One of the plane’s wheels lay on the grass feet away.
7News has reached out to the flight school via email and are waiting for a response.
The cause of the crash is being investigated by the FAA. Investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board are expected to arrive at the airport on Saturday.
The names of those involved in the crash have not been released.
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