ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — A small plane made an emergency landing on U.S. 1 Friday after losing power just minutes before reaching the St. Augustine Airport.
The plane, which was en route from Greenville, South Carolina, to South Florida, was scheduled to make a routine fuel stop at the St. Augustine Airport, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. The power loss happened during its descent.
Officials said the 45-year-old pilot managed to bring the aircraft down safely near Island Landing Drive and into a ditch, narrowly avoiding a serious accident.
No one else was onboard, and no injuries were reported.
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Emergency crews quickly responded to the scene, and the aircraft has since been removed from the roadway.
We spoke with Dave Berman, a private pilot with 15 years of flying experience in St. Johns County, who offered insight on the landing.
“They did a good job bringing the plane down without tearing up too much of it. Wingtips look like they’re torn up a little bit, but looking at the plane, it looks like whoever put it down did a good job,” Berman said.
The FAA has been notified and is now investigating the cause of the emergency landing.
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