Pilot Unhurt After Pompano Beach Plane Crash
POMPANO BEACH (CBSMiami) – James Smith, 75, escaped a small plane crash without injury in Pompano Beach Friday morning.
According to the Broward Sheriff's Office, the small plane crashed in an alleyway between NE 3rd Avenue and Dixie Highway, just northwest of Pompano Air Park just before 6:23 a.m.
The plane, a 2013 Beachcraft, hit powerlines on the way to the ground, which caused an outage in the neighborhood.
"Well, I hit the top of a wire and it just didn't climb fast enough," Smith said. "That's all I can say. I've never had an incident in 30 years."
There were no injuries on the ground and the pilot, who said he had 35 years of experience flying, was walking around when fire units arrived on the scene.
The plane landed in an alleyway about thirty feet from Julson Silne's back door. Silne was inside with his wife and three kids at the time of the crash.
"Pretty much, I was worried because the plane was back there and there was a strong smell of fuel," Silne said.
The plane's fuel was foamed down and contained by the Pompano Beach Fire Department.
"That's the best part is that nobody got hurt," Smith said. "I'm more concerned about other people more than myself."
The NTSB will investigate the cause of the crash.
