MIRAMAR, Fla. – A small plane went down in a field outside of an elementary school in Miramar early Wednesday afternoon.
The unplanned landing happened at around 1 p.m. near Coconut Palm Elementary School at 13601 Monarch Lakes Blvd.
The plane took off from North Perry Airport in Pembroke Pines and was only up in the air for about four minutes before it went down about six miles west of the airport.
The pilot clipped the fence and maneuvered the plane in between two portable classrooms stopping short of the playground, authorities said. The nose gear and right wing tip were damaged
Students were just on the playground moments before the emergency landing, officials said.
Police said two people were on board the Piper Cherokee Archer II and got out unharmed.
“Somewhere along the flight, they noticed they were starting to have problems with the engine, looked for a place to land and safely managed to land in the school playground,” Miramar Police Department Chief Delrish Moss said. “Now the miracle is, neither the pilot or student were hurt, the other thing is the students who had been out on the playground had just gone inside.”
Federal Aviation Administration records show the plane is registered to Cardan Aircraft Services Inc., based in Red Bluff, California.
The school was not placed on lockdown and there was no need for an evacuation, authorities said. The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating.
Raw Sky 10 video (mobile users click here):