PUTNAM COUNTY, Fla. — A plane crashed near Kay Larkin Airport Monday morning. The pilot called in having issues, then lost communication. Initially, the plane could not be located.
Around 8:11 a.m., 911 dispatchers received a call from a pilot saying he had mechanical issues with his plane and was trying to return to Kay Larkin Airport, according to the Putnam County Sheriff's Office.
The call cut off, prompting a search of the area near the airport. Both a helicopter and another airplane searched the area, but could not find the plane in the heavily wooded terrain, PCSO said.
The pilot was able to call 911 again and a communications team successfully pinged his phone near US17 a quarter mile from the airport, near Brown's Lane, said PCSO.
The pilot was located by rescuers, who extracted him out of the plane shortly after 9:30 a.m. Using a sheriff's office ATV, Captain Ussery was able to give the pilot a ride to a rescue unit. As a precaution, the pilot was flown to a trauma hospital, PCSO said.
The pilot was only identified as a 55-year-old with serious injuries, says FHP.
The pilot was the only person in the plane at the time of the crash, said PCSO. FHP is investigating the cause of the crash.
