VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. – A small plane landed in a pond in New Smyrna Beach Tuesday evening, according to Federal Aviation Authority officials.
Multiple 911 calls reported the incident near Luna Bella Lane and Airport Road around 6:20 p.m.
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The New Smyrna Beach Fire Department said the two people who were on board the plane suffered minor injuries and did not require hospitalization.
Kevin Huffman said he’s a family practice physician and was eating dinner with his daughter nearby when the plane went down.
“I heard an explosion and I thought it was a car coming off the road, flipping into the water, but then we noticed it was an airplane,” Kevin Huffman said.
Heidi Huffman said that she watched as the plane hit the water.
“I saw the plane and smoke coming out of it and then I witnessed the plane land, it was a pretty smooth landing. The pilot did a really good job landing it,” Heidi Huffman said.
The Huffmans said that several people in the area ran over to help, with Kevin Huffman getting into the water himself.
“As I got closer, that’s when the other gentleman got there and said, ‘They were OK, they are OK’ and they are hanging on, so I went out to make sure they weren’t trapped inside,” Kevin Huffman said.
The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the incident, which involved a single-engine Piper PA-32.
Plane recovery in progress.
Posted by City of New Smyrna Beach Fire Department on Wednesday, November 25, 2020