A pilot was hospitalized after his banner plane crashed on the airfield at North Perry Airport in Pembroke Pines, Florida.
The crash happened Thursday shortly after noon. Airport security and Pembroke Pines Fire Rescue responded to the scene to assist the pilot, who suffered significant injuries.
It was the second crash in Florida in a week involving a Piper PA-25 Pawnee plane, according to local news station WSVN.
The plane crashed in an upright position on the grass at the airfield, footage taken by WSVN shows.
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Rescue crews were able to recover the pilot from the aircraft.
The pilot was in stable condition but suffered significant injuries. He was taken to Memorial Regional Hospital as a trauma alert, the outlet reported.
“Thoughts and prayers for the pilot, he’s in the hospital, he’s expected to make a full recovery, so he’s in our prayers,” Aerial Banners owner Bob Benyo told WSVN.
It is unclear what caused the plane to crash. The pilot was conducting a training exercise before plummeting out of the sky and crash landing at the airport.
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“It’s horrifying, especially after last week’s event,” Benyo told WSVN. “Absolutely horrifying.”
Benyo said the pilot involved in the crash had more than 1,000 hours of flight time logged on this particular plane.
The crashed aircraft has since been towed away from the airfield.
The incident was similar to a fatal crash involving another banner-towing plane that happened last week in Hollywood, Florida.
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One person, the pilot, died after a Piper PA-25 Pawnee crashed on a road adjacent to Memorial Regional Hospital and burst into flames.
That plane, also owned by Aerial Banners, was flying toward the beach from North Perry Airport. Shortly after takeoff, the pilot made a distress call to air traffic control and reported difficulties gaining altitude, WSVN reported.
The pilot was forced to release the banner but was unable to regain control of the aircraft and fell out of the sky. Witnesses reported the pilot made attempts to avoid people in vehicles as he crashed on the road.
Benyo told WSVN Aerial Banners, the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration are investigating the fatal crash.
“I’m working with the investigators, as I’ve always have in the past. They will determine what happened, what was the probable cause,” Benyo said. “The preliminary report will be out in another week or so, and the final, as you know, takes about a year to get.”
The identity of the pilot remains undisclosed.
