Small banner plane crashes near shopping plaza in Hollywood, pilot dead

At least one person was killed after a plane crashed in Hollywood Wednesday afternoon, CBS News reported. The plane crashed near a shopping plaza.

Arlene Satchell, who is a spokesperson for the airport, said as quoted by Sun Sentinel that the preliminary information shows the plane departed from North Perry Airport in Pembroke Pines.

As quoted by US-based media outlets, the statement by the Federal Aviation Administration revealed that the authorities said the single-engine Piper aircraft went down at 450 N Park Road, near Hollywood Boulevard, around 12:45pm (local time).

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"Upon impact, the plane was fully engulfed in flames and fire rescue responded to put out the blaze. It appeared to be a single-engine plane with one person deceased inside," said city spokesperson Deanne Bettineschi as quoted by media reports.

The plane was completely enveloped in flames when Hollywood Fire Rescue arrived and Chopper4 observed firefighters dousing the burnt remnants of the plane with foam from above.

According to the National Transportation Safety Board, the pilot who lost his life was the only occupant of the plane. The identity and other details about the pilot were not available.

The plane was seen bouncing up and down in the viral video before it crashed.

Trigger warning: Some readers may find this video disturbing. Discretion is advised.

Pilot was 'a hero'

As quoted by CBS News, Rhonda Martinez said that she saw the plane before it crashed. She said, "I saw the plane flying low to the left and I saw yellow and the plane with a banner and it seemed like it was losing altitude because it was going in a downward position and that seemed awfully low for a plane to be flying."

"Honestly, my dad was in pilot school at one time and I know that the plane that was flying was in trouble. I feel terrible because I was born and raised here. This is heart-wrenching."

As quoted by Sun Sentinel, Karen Schiff said that she was driving north on North Park Road when she saw the plane. Schiff works for Memorial Healthcare System at an outpatient centre near Target.

Schiff said it appeared that the pilot was attempting to manoeuvre the plane to make an emergency landing in a safe place, away from the busier lanes.

"I think the pilot was trying to avoid as many people as possible because he knew he was going down. He's a hero. He did everything he could," Schiff said.

"The flames were so hot so quick that everything burned up. All that’s left is the skeleton of the plane," Schiff added.

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