ORLANDO, FLA. (WSVN) – A student and an instructor were practicing takeoffs and landings when their plane crashed in Orlando.<\/p>\n
First responders worked through difficult terrain to find the pilot and passenger involved in the crash.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt appears it went nose down, but it\u2019s really difficult to tell because of all the dense vegetation that was there,\u201d said Kissimmee Fire Department Battalion Chief Stephen Gonnella.<\/p>\n
One of the two victims was airlifted to a nearby hospital, while the other one was transported in an ambulance.<\/p>\n
Firefighters identified the plane as a Cessna 150.<\/p>\n
Flight tracking data showed the plane went down after a 40-minute flight, veering off course and crashing a mile and a half from the runway at an airport in Kissimmee.<\/p>\n
Isaiah Akloo helped crews locate the crash site.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe didn\u2019t see anyone was moving. So we tried to go not too low, but low enough so we could relay the information to air traffic control in Kissimmee,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m so relieved because I don\u2019t even wanna admit I was sad, I was very, very sad at that point. I didn\u2019t see anyone moving, but now that it has just brought joy over me, I\u2019m very grateful that those people survived.\u201d<\/p>\n
A helicopter ferried people to the scene, and pickup trucks brought them through once a safe path was established.<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout two weeks ago, we actually did training with the Kissimmee airport, and this actually came into play here,\u201d said Gonnella.<\/p>\n
First responders said that the plane was experiencing a fuel system malfunction, which federal investigators are looking into.<\/p>\n
Both men are listed in critical condition.<\/p>\n
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