PEMBROKE PINES, FLA. (WSVN) - Urgent 911 calls painted a vivid picture of the moments following a small plane crash near North Perry Airport last Thursday afternoon, as witnesses rushed to help the pilot, who miraculously survived the crash.
The 911 calls for help came in quickly.
“Hi, I just saw a plane crash,” one caller said.
Another caller reported, “I believe a plane just crashed down right now; I just drove past it.”
The pilot, who was the sole occupant of the aircraft, informed investigators that he was practicing landing and taking off. When he attempted to switch fuel tanks, the plane lost power, leading to a crash landing just west of 72nd Avenue.
The crash site happened to be mere feet from the North Perry Airport’s fire station. Witnesses in the area quickly rushed to aid the pilot while on the phone with emergency dispatch.
“Can you get out? Yeah, he’s trying to get out,” one caller said.
One witnesses later revealed that they had managed to pull the pilot from the cockpit and lay him on the wing of the aircraft.
“We just got him onto the wing, laid him on his back. He had injured his back, he had like a gash on his forehead,” recounted Teresa Shaia.
Shaia shared that she had held the pilot’s hand to offer comfort during the ordeal.
Despite the severity of the crash, the pilot was quickly transported to the hospital and is expected to make a full recovery.
Witnesses marveled at the fortunate outcome.
“It was just a bang, and then the plane landed right across the street from my house,” Peter Sciallo said.
While the pilot believes the crash was caused due to him attempting to switch fuel tanks, federal investigators are still investigating the cause of the crash.
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