FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – A small plane crashed through a fence while trying to take off from Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport on Wednesday morning.
A city of Fort Lauderdale representative said the plane was trying to take off when it had a mechanical problem. The pilot turned the plane around and, upon landing, skidded off the runway and into a fence.
Nick Notoris said he likes eating at the Jet Runway Cafe for its nifty view, and he was right by the window with his family when they saw the plane leave the runway.
"All we saw was the plane landing very fast and then I looked over to the end of the runway and saw smoke -- just a giant puff of smoke," said Matty Notoris. "The wheels landed in the grass, which made it lose control, and then we saw a bunch of dirt being kicked up."
Brian Weisz owns an air ambulance company. He was there when the plane took a nosedive into the fence. He said two of his company's nurses ran out to help, but security officials told them to stay back.
A representative of the Federal Aviation Administration said six people were aboard the plane at the time. No injuries were reported.
The plane is a Cessna 650 fixed-wing aircraft registered to a company based in Wilmington, Delaware.
Federal officials are investigating the rough landing and the mechanical issues that forced the pilot to double back shortly after takeoff.
Several hours after the crash, crews placed the plane on a tow truck to remove it from the site of the crash.
The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are involved in the investigation.