Plane Crash In Bradenton..

SARASOTA - Two people escaped with their lives after a fiery plane crash in Manatee County.

According to witnesses, the small plane was taking off from Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport late Friday morning but could not seem to gain enough altitude. It clipped some power lines and crashed at Tallevast Road and 15th Street, just east of the airport.

"I thought it was someone barreling through our parking lot. I thought it was a red and white boat on a trailer," said JoAnn Galati, who saw it from her office window.

"I heard it in the air; it was puttering in the air. You could hear it spitting, like it was trying to get power but couldn't," witness Willie Redden added.

Willie's friend, Demetrice Higdon, ran up to plane and saved 75-year-old Novell Dawson, who was stuck in the passenger seat.

"I wasn't worried about it exploding. I was worried about getting someone out of the airplane," Higdon explained afterwards.

The pilot, 46-year-old Mark Steicht, got out by himself. He told rescue crews the plane just conked out.

Witnesses say flames broke out 15 seconds after people got away from the plane. The burned shell was left sitting next to the road, surrounded by wires that it had knocked loose on its way to the ground.

A third person on the ground suffered smoke inhalation and required treatment.

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Plane
• Crash
• Bradenton
• Sarasota
• FL
• Florida

[mychainsaregone]

My Dad was the co-pilot of this airplane. We are so Blessed that he is alive and the pilot. The men who resuced him are awesome. They risked their lives to walk across live wires to pull him out! Three guys ran over to the plane after seeing it hit the wires and transformer. The plane was on fire when they pulled my Dad out. This was a Lake airplane. We would land on the water or on the runway. My Dad was a instructor for Lakes and taught the pilot. God is with us all, Donalee

[Learjetjock]

I do not recall this happening or at least hearing about it. What aircraft type and what FBO did it depart from. Up here at my house in NY we hear little on goings in SRQ.

[vader9596]

God thats amazing

[vatossan]

5* you lucky to see something like this