MIAMI – A pilot who survived a fiery plane crash in the Florida Everglades over the weekend is speaking publicly about the incident from his hospital bed at Jackson Memorial Hospital.
Kenneth McKenzie, 53, suffered burns in the Sunday crash, but is grateful that he and his wife were able to make it out of the plane alive.
McKenzie will have to undergo extensive rehab and perhaps surgery down the road, but he is in good spirits.
The pilot was surrounded Tuesday with flowers, balloons and cards from his loved ones.
McKenzie and his wife, Sonia McKenzie, said they were heading to Virginia to visit their daughter Sunday when their plane suffered engine trouble just minutes after taking off from Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport.
Kenneth McKenzie is an experienced pilot who served in the Canadian military. He is also the former chief operating officer of Spirit Airlines. His experience may be what helped him land as safely as possible in an open area.
"I opened the door, jumped out and everything was engulfed in flames, and (I) turned around and Sonia was still working to get out of her seat belt, so I grabbed a hold of her," he explained.
Sonia McKenzie was taken to Broward Health North to be treated for minor injuries. She was later released.
Doctors said Kenneth McKenzie will likely have permanent scarring from the crash and is eligible for a groundbreaking stem-cell procedure that is only performed at JMH. It's unclear whether McKenzie will go through with the procedure.
Follow Terrell Forney on Twitter @TVTerrell
Follow Local 10 News on Twitter @WPLGLocal10