One Injured After Experimental Plane Crashes on Melbourne Beach

By Orlando Personal Injury Attorney on September 12, 2020

Two people were rescued on the morning of September 11th, 2020, after their experimental airplane crashed onto a relatively remote portion of Melbourne Beach. According to the Brevard County Fire Rescue, who were the first to arrive at the accident site, the plane had landed upside-down on the beach after suffering a mid-flight engine malfunction after take-off.

It was approximately 9:15 a.m. this past Friday morning in Brevard County when firefighters and first responders were dispatched to the scene of an aviation accident on Melbourne Beach near Cove Road and State Road A1A. Rescuers arrived at the beach to find the experimental aircraft laying upside-down in the sand after it had flipped over during the crash landing process. The pilot had already managed to free himself from the wreckage, and was attempting to assist his passenger when the authorities arrived.

A witness statement retrieved by deputies with the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office from the pilot stated that the airplane sustained an unknown mid-flight engine malfunction shortly after its ascension from Valkaria Airport, which is roughly 10 miles to the south of Melbourne Beach. The pilot said he did everything in his power to avert his aircraft away from the busy highway below, which resulted in him making the decision to attempt an emergency beach landing. A choice that ultimately saved an incredible amount of lives, including his own. However, in doing so, the nose of the aircraft became wedged in the sand after touching down, which caused the plane to flip upside-down before finally coming to a rest.

Remarkably, only one of the two people aboard the plane at the time of the accident suffered from any injuries, and even those were minor, but they were transported to a local hospital just to be on the safe side. The other occupant refused medical treatment at the scene.

Records from the Federal Aviation Administration indicate that the experimental, “amateur-built” aircraft was constructed in 1996 and is owned by Thomas Angello of Malabar, but was deregistered in 2019 for reasons that have yet to be released to the public.

Sources:

• Experimental plane crashes on Melbourne Beach, injuring 1
• ‘Experimental’ aircraft crashes on Melbourne Beach; one person taken to hospital
• Small plane crash-lands on Melbourne Beach

James O. Cunningham

Since 1977, personal injury lawyer James Cunningham has provided effective legal advocacy to people who are injured through the negligent actions of another person or entity throughout the Central Florida area. He fights to obtain recoveries for his clients’ physical and emotional pain and suffering and pursues his clients’ personal injury cases with a commitment to excellence and impeccable preparation.