BROWARD COUNTY, Fla. – The Broward Sheriff's Office has identified the pilot of a small plane that crashed Monday in western Broward County.
James Townsend, 63, was piloting the Piper PA-32 when it crashed in the Everglades.
Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen said the plane crashed about 12:45 p.m., 16 miles west of Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport.
Sky 10 was flying to another scene when pilot Clem Carfaro spotted the downed plane in the Everglades near U.S. Highway 27.
Townsend was trapped inside the cockpit. Sky 10 arrived before Broward Sheriff's Office firefighters got there.
Local 10 News engineer Juan Rodriguez just happened to be on Sky 10 at the time, and the helicopter landed briefly so that Rodriguez could help the pilot.
Firefighters arrived a short time later and had to use the Jaws of Life to rescue Townsend, who was pinned under the debris. He was placed on a stretcher and flown to Broward Health Medical Center.
Rodriguez said Townsend was asking for water and complained about his leg. Townsend remains in critical condition as of Tuesday.
Two Jacksonville attorneys, Robert Spohrer, 66, and Steven Browning, 55, were also on the plane. They were walking around the crash site, suffering only minor injuries, and were taken to the hospital by ambulance.
Townsend regularly flies for the Spohrer & Dodd law firm, of which Browning is also a partner. Ironically, the law firm primarily handles accidents involving aircraft.
Spohrer said he and Browning were in the back of the plane chatting and working and thought they were about to land at the airport.
"We were descending rapidly," Spohrer said. "The gear was not down and we were going to be hitting off the field. I told Steve, 'Tighten your seat belt as tight as you can (and) get into a braced position. As soon as the plane stops moving, we're going to get out of this emergency exit.' That's exactly what happened."
The plane's owner will have it removed from the crash site and taken to a hanger, where the National Transportation Safety Board will begin its investigation.
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