Man injured, stranded after flight school plane crashes in Everglades

A small plane crashed in the Everglades in southwest Broward early Tuesday morning, officials say, leaving its pilot stranded for hours with an injured leg, waiting for help to arrive.

The single-engine Cessna 172M crashed about 2:20 a.m., according to a spokesperson from the Federal Aviation Administration.

But the flight school where the plane originated from notified Broward Sheriff’s Fire Rescue of the crash hours later, about 10 a.m., Battalion Chief Michael Kane said. The closest facility to where the plane went down is Mack’s Fish Camp in the 18000 block of Krome Avenue, but the plane was “miles and miles” away from that, Kane said.

It is unclear what occurred between 2:20 a.m. and 10 a.m., but Kane surmised that the pilot likely had no access to a phone or radio because the plane was submerged in water except for its wing.

He probably spent the night on the wing, Kane said, waiting for the flight school to realize he didn’t return. Flight schools have a protocol for overdue aircraft.

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue’s aviation unit received a mutual aid call from the Broward Sheriff’s Office about 10:20 a.m., a spokesperson for MDFR said.

The Broward Sheriff’s Office aviation unit has been leaning on mutual aid from neighboring counties after one of its air rescue helicopters crashed in August.

Broward Fire Rescue airboats and the Miami-Dade Fire Rescue aviation unit arrived at the scene, Kane said in a media release, which was accessible only by “specialized assets.” A Miami-Dade Fire Rescue helicopter hoisted the man, and the aviation unit treated him and took him to Memorial Hospital in Hollywood with minor injuries.

The plane is believed to be from a Miami-Dade flight school, Kane said. Its N-number is registered to Custom Air International LLC, based in Homestead. The company’s registered agent is Bryan Shelton, and its address is the Miami Homestead General Aviation Airport.

Pilot Training Center operates out of the airport. When contacted by a reporter, a woman who works at the company said “everything is fine, the pilot is fine, thank you very much,” and hung up.

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash.