WEST BROWARD COUNTY – A small plane made an emergency landing in the Florida Everglades Friday morning.
The Piper PA-34 landed about 12:30 p.m. in an area about 18 miles west of US 27
Sky 10 was overhead as the plane's two passengers stood atop the fuselage.
The pilot, Alejandro Alvarez, 51, and passenger was Pedro Krisciunas, 32, we're heading to Punta Gorda from Opa-locka when something went wrong.
A Coast Guard helicopter hoisted Alvarez and Krisciunas out of the area and took them to its air station.
"We heard a pilot say, May Day, May Day, May Day. I'm going down," Coast Guard pilot Lt. Joseph Messina said. "The two survivors were in great condition. The pilot and copilot were actually standing on top of the plane. They gave us the thumbs up and looked in good condition so we moved in for the hoist."
People at the Wayman Aviation flight school told Local 10 News reporter Amy Viteri that the plane lost power and the landing gear broke apart.
They said one of the engines separated from the plane upon impact.
Neither man was injured.