Two elderly men were injured on Tuesday after a small airplane crashed into a pickup truck at the Airport Manatee in Palmetto, Florida.
In a Tuesday press release, the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office announced that deputies were working with the Federal Aviation Administration to investigate a plane crash that left two individuals injured in Florida. Law enforcement officials confirmed that the Federal Aviation Administration is currently “leading the investigation.”
According to the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office press release, police deputies responded to “reports of a downed aircraft” at the Airport Manatee just prior to 10 a.m. on Tuesday.
“Witnesses reported that the vintage single-engine Aeronca Champ experienced a problem shortly after takeoff,” the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office said in Tuesday’s press release. “The plane veered to the left, clipped a powerline, and then crashed into an unoccupied pickup truck parked nearby.”
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“Deputies discovered 70-year-old John Sikirica in the front seat of the plane with visible injuries,” the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office added. “86-year-old Allen Maxwell, who had been in the rear seat, managed to climb out of the plane, but he was also injured.”
According to the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office, personnel with the North River Fire Rescue helped free the pilot from the airplane wreckage. The sheriff’s office explained that both of the elderly men received medical attention at the scene of the airplane crash and were later airlifted to local hospitals with “non-life-threatening” injuries.
In Tuesday’s press release, the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that no injuries were reported on the ground in connection with the airplane crash. The sheriff’s office also noted that Florida Power and Light, an electric service company, responded to the scene of the crash to “repair the damaged powerline.”
According to Fox 13, Manatee County Public Information Officer Randy Warren confirmed that officials have not determined the cause of Tuesday’s crash.