A private aircraft crash-landed onto a Miami bridge on Saturday afternoon, creating a fiery wreck after colliding with an SUV. Since then, a video depicting the grim aftermath of the incident has garnered over 324,000 views on social media.
The incident occurred just beyond noon EST on Saturday. The small plane was carrying three passengers when it lost power and began to fall. It ultimately landed on the Haulover Inlet Bridge near Haulover Beach in Miami, according to WFLA News. Smoke from the crash could reportedly be seen for miles around.
"Awful private plane crash in [Miami]," Twitter user Alex Huberman wrote in a tweet alongside the video of the crash aftermath.
Awful private plane crash in #mia @nbc6 pic.twitter.com/LjJg7bgUtM
— Alex H (@lexSayzzz) May 14, 2022
Despite the chaotic landing and fiery aftermath of the crash, only one person has been confirmed dead so far. Their identity has not been disclosed to the public at this time. The SUV involved in the crash was being driven by a woman with her two toddlers on board, all of whom survived and were uninjured. As of approximately 6 p.m. EST, authorities said the bridge would remain closed for "several hours," according to the Miami Herald's Martin Vassolo.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) released a statement on the incident, confirming that the craft involved was a single-engine Cessna.
"A single-engine Cessna 172 lost engine power and landed on the Haulover Inlet Bridge on Route A1A in Miami around 1 p.m. local time today, striking a vehicle while landing," the statement, sent to CBS Miami, read. "There were three people onboard. The aircraft departed from Fort Lauderdale International Airport with a planned destination of Key West International Airport. The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate."
Two other passengers were rescued from the wreck of the plane once the fires had been extinguished, according to NBC Miami. The outlet reported there had been five people injured in the incident, with two reportedly being taken to hospitals for traumatic injuries. One was airlifted to Jackson Memorial Hospital's Ryder Trauma Center, while the other was taken to the Jackson North Medical Center.
"We had three Miami-Dade Fire Rescue lifeguards who were on scene first and started assisting patients," fire rescue spokesperson Erika Benitez explained, according to NBC Miami. "Within just a few minutes several other units arrived and when they arrived they did see an aircraft down in flames, in addition to a vehicle that had been hit by the aircraft."
Newsweek reached out to the FAA for comment.
