Seven people were hospitalized Monday afternoon after a small plane clipped a palm tree and crashed into a moving car shortly after taking off from Palm Beach County Park Airport, authorities said.
According to the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, the incident occurred around 4:25 p.m. in the 3800 block of Lake Osborne Drive, roughly one minute after the plane departed from Palm Beach County Park Airport in Lantana. The single-engine aircraft, identified by the Federal Aviation Administration as an Orlican M8 Eagle, struck a tree before making contact with the top of a car traveling on the road.
Capt. Thomas Reyes of Palm Beach County Fire Rescue said the vehicle was not significantly damaged. The plane then came to rest in a nearby park.
Two people onboard the plane—identified as the pilot and a passenger—sustained non-life-threatening injuries and were transported to St. Mary’s Medical Center in West Palm Beach, officials said. An adult and four children who were inside the vehicle were also taken to the hospital as a precaution.
Photos of the crash site show the aircraft registered to Valiair LC Trustee, based in Ogden, Utah. Flight tracking data from FlightAware shows the plane took off at 4:24 p.m. and crashed approximately one minute later.
No fire or fuel leakage was reported at the scene. The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are now investigating the cause of the crash.
Authorities have not yet released the identities of those involved.
