Philadelphia training aircraft lost power before crash that injured 2, including off-duty officer
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- A small training aircraft crashed into a tree Wednesday afternoon in Fluehr Park in the Torresdale section of Philadelphia, seriously injuring a flight instructor and a student pilot who is an off-duty city police officer.
Police blocked off the park as investigators examined the wreckage of the Piper Pilot 100i, which went down around 3:45 p.m. after flying for about 40 minutes.
"It's a miracle," said Stephen Sergi, a Holy Family University professor who witnessed the aftermath.
Fly Legacy Aviation, the company that owns the aircraft, said it was stunned by the crash. They've been in business for 11 years and are based at the Northeast Philadelphia Airport.
General Manager Alex Souponetsky said the men were returning to the airport when the plane lost engine power over the Delaware River.
"I'm just very grateful everybody is alright," he said. "This is not common. This is our first accident. We have 30 flights every day. We have a fleet of 24 airplanes. We have over 200 students with thousands of graduates."
Souponetsky said the pilots reported engine trouble over the radio and attempted to glide back toward the airport.
"Very grateful to the skill and knowledge of our instructor who took control of the plane and started gliding it towards the airport and he almost made it," he said.
Emergency crews rushed to the scene to free the trapped occupants.
"They were pulling him out, and he was screaming in pain," Sergi said.
Philadelphia Fire Commissioner Jeffrey Thompson said both men were conscious when first responders arrived.
"They were both alert and oriented. We were very fortunate there was no resulting fire," he said. "We were very lucky. This is a residential neighborhood, so this could have been very different."
Thompson also said a small fuel spill occurred, and a hazmat team responded to the scene.
Residents and witnesses described the crash as frightening, but said they were relieved the outcome wasn't worse.
"I'm glad everyone got out," said Amanda Cappo, who lives nearby. "We get nervous with the planes around here. We see them all the time. It gets nervous with them training."
Sergi, whose university sits across from the park, said he often worries about low-flying training aircraft.
"I tell my students, 'What are you thankful for today?' I always say, 'I'm thankful one of those planes didn't hit one of the buildings at the college,'" he said. "Everybody is really lucky, including the occupants."
Souponetsky said the aircraft has regular inspections, and he doesn't know why the engine lost power.
"This is a new plane also. It was built in 2021. In the flight training industry, this is a brand-new airplane," he said. "They've been constantly inspected. We're a flight school, so we have to abide by the strictest guidelines on maintenance."
The National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration are investigating the cause of the crash.
