ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – A aerobatic plane crashed Wednesday afternoon at Northeast Florida Regional Airport in St. Augustine.
The plane went down in a salt marsh near the runway just before 5 p.m. According to St. Johns County Fire Rescue, the pilot was removed from the aircraft and rushed to a hospital for treatment.
The pilot was identified as a 49-year-old woman from Corvalis, Oregon, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. She was said to be in critical condition.
News4JAX aviation analyst Ed Booth identified the plane as an Extra 300. Data from FlightAware shows the plane made a hard right turn over the airport and picked up speed before the collision.
“It approached from the west, descending, made a hard right turn and flew parallel to runway one-three at approximately 800-feet,” Booth explained. “And then for inexplicable reasons, dove to the ground at the end of the runway into the marsh at a relatively high rate of speed.”
While the cause of the crash is under investigation, Booth says investigators can’t rule out the possibility of a bird striking the engine.
“Given the time of year, there is a possibility of a bird strike. This is the time of year when there are migratory birds everywhere in this part of Florida and this certainly something the investigators will look at,” Booth said.
Around 7:30 p.m., planes were allowed to take off or land again after investigators cleared the scene.