A small single-engine plane made an emergency landing along a canal in North Lauderdale on Monday afternoon after experiencing fuel issues, officials said.
According to North Lauderdale Fire Rescue, the aircraft went down near 8127 Southgate Boulevard around 4:30 p.m.
“Looks like an impromptu landing right along the canal […] the plane’s intact,” a dispatcher said.
“That is [the] South Canal access road right off of Southgate Boulevard and 82nd Avenue,” said Ralph Rayburn, as 7Skyforce hovered over the scene.
Two people on board suffered minor injuries but were evaluated by paramedics and did not require hospitalization.
Witnesses said rescue crews arrived quickly after the plane came down.
“I’m glad that they are safe, that’s the important thing,” said David Salcedo, who lives nearby. “They did a nice job landing right there on that little cement walkway.”
Matthew Torres, another witness, said he spoke with the pilot and instructor shortly after the landing.
“They were about 1,000 feet above when the instructor noticed the fuel engines were, there was an issue with the fuel engines,” Torres said. “That’s when he took control of the controls.”
Torres said the instructor tried to troubleshoot the issue before realizing he had to act fast.
“He tried to troubleshoot it. When he couldn’t, he had to find somewhere to land so that’s when he U-turned it, saw this sidewalk and saw a good place to land,” he said.
Before the plane touched down, it reportedly hit a sign near where a woman had been sitting.
“There was a woman that was sitting on that bench. She was being carted on the stretcher being sent to the ambulance,” Torres said. “She looked a little distraught but she looked OK.”
Margate Fire Rescue confirmed the woman was transported to a nearby hospital.
With no serious injuries reported, neighbors expressed relief at how the situation ended.
“Kudos to that guy, man, I know that we talked a little bit so my heart goes out to you guys,” said Torres. “Keep your heads up.”
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has been notified of the incident.
