What to Know
- The plane crashed in Southwest Miami-Dade just before 3 p.m.
- The pilot was killed in the crash and was the only person on board the aircraft.
- The FAA and the NTSB are now investigating what caused the crash.
A pilot was killed after a small plane crashed near Miami Executive Airport Sunday.
Officials with the Federal Aviation Administration confirmed to NBC 6 that the pilot took off Sunday afternoon at about 3 p.m. but we now know that the flight quickly turned deadly.
The aircraft took a nose dive into a remote crop field near SW 121st Street and 157th Ave. One local business owner saw the entire incident happen right before his eyes.
“I was setting up my food truck when I saw the small plane fly by to that side. After five or six minutes, I heard a loud explosion. When I turned around, I saw the plane on the ground,” said Carlos Diaz.
Diaz owns a food truck within eyesight of the deadly crash. He remembers the plane flying over. But says five to six minutes later, there was a loud explosion. When he looked over, it was too late. The pilot was the only person on board, and died at the scene.
Officials with the FAA released a statement explaining how the pilot behind the wheel of the Piper PA 60 departed from the airport, but had to return after declaring an emergency. The plane plummeted about a mile and a half west of the airport, just before 3 p.m. Sunday afternoon.
Local
The statement from the FAA read, in part,:
"A Piper PA 60 aircraft crashed approximately one and a half miles west of the Miami Executive Airport today at 2:50 p.m. The pilot departed from Miami Executive and was returning to the airport after declaring an emergency."
Crews were seen investigating the incident late Sunday evening, trying to get to the bottom of what went wrong.
Investigators have not released any information on the pilot.
The FAA and the NTSB are now conducting an investigation.
