4 hospitalized but safe after small plane crashes in Pembroke Pines neighborhood, officials say

Four people are considered safe but were hospitalized with minor injuries after a small plane crash in a Pembroke Pines neighborhood on Sunday evening, police said.

Pembroke Pines Police shared on social media that officers are assisting with efforts regarding a plane crash into a tree in the area of Southwest 14th Street and 68th Boulevard, just west of North Perry Airport.

According to North Perry Airport, the plane is “based out” of the airport, but the National Transportation Safety Board said the Cessna T337G was on approach to North Perry when it “crashed for unknown reasons” about a mile short of the runway. According to data from FlightAware, the plane was coming from Turks and Caicos.

One pilot and three passengers are all safely out of the plane, police said.

Pembroke Pines Fire Rescue told CBS News Miami that all four on board were taken to Memorial Hospital, with one patient labeled as Trauma Level 1 and the other three deemed Trauma Level 2. Pembroke Pines Police said in a later social media update that the plane occupants sustained only minor injuries.

Officers have closed off Southwest 14th Street between 72nd and 66th Avenues, and the NTSB is investigating the crash.

Residents rush to see what happened in their neighborhood

Neighbors described what they saw and heard to CBS News Miami.

“I heard a big boom and then we heard the shhhhh and we knew like that was a plane,” said Michael Pfefferkorn.

Another neighbor said the crash “sounded like a semi truck flipped over.”

“We just saw the smoke come up in the air,” added Tanielle Dacosta.

Pembroke Pines mayor calls for accountability following crash

Angelo Castillo, the mayor of Pembroke Pines, came to the scene on Sunday night and told reporters that crashes in the area are happening far too often, calling on the county commission to investigate safety at North Perry Airport.

“Over the last five years, we’ve had over 35 crashes here. The time has run out on our patience,” he said. “This community wants to feel safe, Broward County, and I’m calling on the Broward Commission to conduct a full investigation of safety at this airport.”