By: Sharon Aron Baron

A plane crash seriously injuring two people on Sunday morning went down in a wildlife refuge area north of Parkland.

At 10:45 a.m., the Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport control tower reported they received a distress call from an aircraft. The airport not only lost radio contact with the plane, they noticed it was losing altitude and contacted Coral Springs Parkland Fire Division Chief Mike Moser.

Moser dispatched 10 fire trucks to the Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge and as they started getting closer, they started to see black smoke in the area.  In the refuge, they had to cut open the gates, cross a levee that was built in the 1940’s, and from there they were able to locate the aircraft that was completely engulfed in flames and partially submerged in the water.

Next to the aircraft stood an injured man and a woman.  One was airlifted to Broward Health North and one was transported by ground, both suffering serious injuries.

The fire department extinguished the fire, using foam to cover the plane.

“The foam helped put a blanket on the water so the fuel doesn’t burn, and helps extinguish the fire,” said Moser who said that anytime they had fuel fires, they use it because it puts the fire out quicker.

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the cause of the crash.

Sharon Aron Baron

Sharon Aron Baron is the Editor of Talk Media and writer for Coral Springs Talk. CST was created in 2012 to provide News, Views and Entertainment for the residents of Coral Springs, Parkland and the rest of South Florida.