New police body camera footage shows the moments first responders rushed to help at the scene of a small plane crash near North Perry Airport back in May.
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A Cessna C172P crashed shortly after it departed the airport at around 11:30 a.m on May 29, Federal Aviation Administration officials said. The crash happened on the grounds of South Florida State Hospital at 800 E. Cypress Drive, just west of the airport.
The two occupants of the plane, pilot Vanessa Ledo and student pilot Earlene E. Clarke Thomas, were both conscious and breathing after the crash.
The bodycam shows the two lying on the grass near the overturned plane. They both tell officers that their backs hurt. They were taken to the hospital and survived.
Officers also spoke to Nathan Gansert, a witness who was just driving by when he saw the plane go down. He stopped his car and immediately went to render aid.
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“I ran over there to the girls, and I was just trying to tell them to stay calm and just to breathe and just to stay on their backs,” he told the officer.
Pembroke Pines Police Department later recognized Gansert with the Civilian Special Recognition Award for his heroic actions.
According to an incident report, the plane had a history of engine problems. The student pilot told investigators that they had taken off before there was an engine failure in the air, the report said, and they began to nose-dive and then crash.
Broward County has since created new safety initiatives at North Perry Airport, including an airport safety assessment study, lead emissions screenings and the creation of a community advisory committee.
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