MERRITT ISLAND, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35 ORLANDO) -
Two men have survived a small plane crash which happened around 2:43 p.m. Wednesday afternoon near the Merritt Island Airport in Brevard County. The pilot and passenger did manage to get out of the plane, but they were seriously injured, according to emergency officials.
A spokesman with Brevard Fire Rescue said the men were awake and alert when they were taken to the trauma center at Holmes Regional Medical Center by ambulance. The two had declined helicopter transportation. The men, described as in their late 20s to early 30s, required decontamination of jet fuel by firefighters prior to being transported.
It is unclear if the pilot was attempting to land the plane when it rolled over a pond and came to rest on a bank opposite of the airport runway. The plane, which flipped upside down, is largely intact but the nose had detached upon impact.
The Federal Aviation Administration has been contacted to help identify the cause of the accident. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection was also notified due to the fuel leak at the site.
The airplane was described as a Comp Air single-turbine jet aircraft.
