HAULOVER BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - A small plane that crashed on Haulover Beach on Christmas Eve has been removed.
Four people, including a flight instructor, suffered minor injuries after the single-engine Cessna experienced engine failure and plummeted onto the beach near 10800 Collins Ave., Monday.
The plane had taken off from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport shortly before trouble began at 1:33 p.m.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue transported the victims to an area hospital.
Boater Tiago Patricio said he saw the aftermath himself.
“We were coming down on the way from Fort Pierce on a boat, and right when we went past here is when we saw the plane upside down and the Coast Guard arriving,” Patricio said.
Heavy-duty machines were on the shoreline to lift the aircraft and haul it off the beach, Tuesday.
The tedious work drew a small crowd of people recording the crew on cellphone video.
“They cleaned it up, and everybody’s good, so we’re happy. It was a happy ending,” said Patricio.
In total, it took crews about an hour to secure and remove the aircraft from the sand.
The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board continue to investigate.
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