Two men were able to walk away from the scene after the small plane they were on made an emergency landing late Thursday night in Key Biscayne.
Officials say the Cessna 172 made that landing around 11:20 p.m. near Crandon Park. The pilot attempted to land on Crandon Boulevard, hitting a light pole and several tree branches. He was unhurt while the student pilot on board was treated for a broken nose.
"We rendered aid to two patients, one was stable, and one got transported with minor injuries to a local hospital," Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Chief Ralph Baena said.
The plane took off from Miami Executive Airport around 8:30 p.m. and made stops at both Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport and Palm Beach International Airport before returning southbound along the coast, officials said.
The pilot told officials that they had been performing instrument flight rule training – teaching students how to fly without looking out the window – when the engine started sputtering and the plane went down.
"I'm pulling into this driveway here and I see a plane. I walk up to the pilot, I'm like 'hey, are you alright? What's wrong?'" witness Paul Malavenda said. "He told me the engine had died on him on the way down and he told me that he just tried his best to land the plane as safely as possible."
The FAA and NTSB were notified of the crash, officials said.
The plane belonged to Dean International Flight School – the same school that owned a plane that was taken earlier this month by a student pilot, who was killed when the plane crashed in the Everglades west of Homestead. NBC 6 uncovered a history of issues the school had shortly after that crash.
