ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – A man, lady and a dog were transferred for treatment of injuries Thursday night in a little location crash that happened simply outdoors Northeast Florida Regional Airport.
St. Johns County Fire Rescue, the St. Augustine Fire Department and the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office reacted to the scene in a woody location off U.S. Highway 1. The little location ignited, which Fire Rescue said was rapidly snuffed out.
The Florida Highway Patrol said the crash happened quickly after remove from the airport. The pilot, recognized as a 61-year-old St. Johns County man, was said to have important injuries,. The guest, a 59-year-old St. Johns County lady, had major injuries.
Fire Rescue said the dog was getting treatment at a veterinarian. The reason for the crash is under examination.
Witnesses state the aircraft, a Piper Malibu, hardly made it off the ground after launch, skimming the highway.
Laura Greene and her child Dalton were driving when they observed the aircraft having a hard time to get elevation.
“It looked like it barely made it over the fence,” Laura Greene said.
“It almost hit the top of the trees, and then it went down,” her child said.
Lillian Romedy and her sibling Delany were at home when the aircraft boiled down simply feet from their house.
“We’re watching TV and then all of a sudden we hear this loud crash,” Romedy said. “We look out the window and all the trees are bursting in flames.”
Witnesses we talked to said that right after the aircraft crashed, they saw several individuals leaving their vehicles on U.S. 1 and after that going through the woody location, assisting individuals who were on board go out.
“We saw people jumping out of their cars and running towards the forest,” said Dalton Greene. “After the police came, we saw a bunch of people come out with bruises and cuts. One guy was coughing from all the smoke.”
News4JAX air travel specialist Ed Booth said based upon what eyewitnesses said, it appears the aircraft suffered an engine issue or a flight control issue.
The aircraft removed from Runway 2-4, which is just 2,700 feet long — making it the fastest runway at the airport. Booth says National Transportation Safety Board private investigators will be checking out whether the flaps were set for a brief launch. He likewise says private investigators will aim to see if the engine was producing adequate power.
Investigators will likely go back to the scene Friday to have the wreckage relocated to a plane garage where they can continue their examination.
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