Two occupants of a single-engine Cessna suffered only minor injuries when their plane crashed on I-95’s northbound lanes a little before 1 p.m. today, between the State Road 100 and Old Dixie Highway exits.
The plane’s engine failed about three miles from Flagler County Executive Airport.
“Preliminary investigation has revealed that, for reasons still under investigation, the aircraft lost power and the pilot was attempting an emergency landing on the northbound lanes of I-95,” FHP reports. “As the pilot was attempting this maneuver, the aircraft’s wing collided with the tractor trailer combination and was redirected into the tree line.”
Tina Darville, a Palm Coast resident, was driving her black Ford F-150 northbound, heading for the Palm Coast Parkway exit, when she suddenly saw the plane almost on top of her pick-up truck. She did not see the collision with the tractor trailer.
“I probably was going about 75 or 80,” she said, “and I looked in the rearview mirror and my side mirror and I noticed an airplane was coming right for me, trying to land on the freeway. It got real close to where the cab of the airplane was almost on top of my tonneau cover for the truck, that’s how close the airplane was to me.”
Darville never heard a thing aside from the normal sounds of driving. “I always look at my side mirror and my rearview mirror, I’m always keeping my surroundings in check,” she said. She had been traveling in the middle lane. Somehow, there was no traffic ahead of her. “So I gunned it, thinking either go to the side or gun it, and I gunned it as long as I could, and I knew I couldn’t outrun a plane for goodness’ sake. When I started to go into the side he did too, and that’s when I saw it flip into pieces. I really didn’t think he would make it. So I pulled over to the side of course. I was pretty far up there when I slowed the truck down.” She called authorities and told them what happened.
“I did not see him come down, he was just there. It seemed like the plane was shaking,” she said. She was convinced she’d get hit.
She was shaking, too. She called her husband, trying to calm herself down. She was immensely relieved when she got a call letting her know the two occupants of the plane–Scott Buchart and Daniel Kriedeman–were safe. “When they said that they were not hurt I couldn’t believe it because it just wasn’t feasible in all the trees, you know,” Darville said. She did not know what had happened to the plane–there will be an investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board, which usually takes months–“all I knew is I needed to get out of the way, but I put my truck up to 120 and that’s a miracle.”
A diesel truck was on the wing of the plane, she said, its occupant slowing down to avoid involvement in the scene, then pulling over to lend help. “Everybody seemed to be really helpful,” Darville said.
Darville, who is originally from Arizona (she and her husband moved to Palm Coast a few years ago for work) said she’d always driven a pick-up truck and knew she would stay in control, but felt guilty about being in the plane’s way. “I know he tried his best. If I wouldn’t have been in his way I felt he could have made a safe landing on the freeway,” she said. “I could not do nothing but cry, I’ve never seen anything like that in my life.”
According to Federal Aviation Administration records, the plane, manufactured in 1949 with a reciprocating engine, is registered to Kriedeman, of Port Orange, and was issued a certificate on Set. 21, 2020. Buchart and Kriedeman had taken off from New Smyrna Beach and were heading for Flagler County Executive Airport.
The northbound lanes were briefly closed, then a lane reopened, though the crash snarled traffic well past the Old Dixie Highway exit. Several agencies responded to the crash, including the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office, the Palm Coast Fire Department, the Flagler County Fiure Department and the Palm Coast Fire Police, and the Florida Highway Patrol. FHP generally investigates plane crashes of this sort as traffic crashes, but the NTSB then takes possession of the plane and conducts its own investigation.
Oddly, planes crashing or executing emergency landings has not been an uncommon occurrence in the county. In November 2019, a student landed his plane safely on County Road 205 near Espanola. In 2017, two people survived without injuries when their plane crashed and caught fire on the Flagler Beach bridge. That year, two people also escaped injuries when their plane landed in a field off County Road 304.
In 2016, the pilot of a Beechcraft single-engine plane survived but with serious injuries after he crash-landed his plane in a field in Hunter’s Ridge, at the south end of the county. That year, Joel Fallon, owner of Granny Nannies, was in a severe crash when the plane he was piloting with a co-pilot crashed in the woods of Plantation Bay. Both were gravely injured but survived.
In 2013, an instructor-pilot safely landed his plane after its engine stalled–on Palm Coast Parkway. And an experimental plane pilot survived without injuries after his plane crashed into Lake Disston at the west end of the county.
In 2011 a 66-year-old piloting an experimental plane survived a crash unscathed in the pines in West Flagler. And in 2010 a plane safely landed on State Road 100.
On March 16, 2001, a 23-year-old pilot and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University student crashed their Piper Seneca twin-engine plane on Seminole Woods Parkway during a training flight, severely injuring–and burning–both.
The county has also been the site of several fatal crashes in 2013, when five people died, crashing just short of the Flagler County airport, and the following year when a man died after his plane crashed in the marshes of Pellicer Creek. In 2011, a pilot died during an air show at the county airport.
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bartholomew says
Flying is the second best feeling a pilot has, the first is landing.
I am glad everyone is ok.
palmcoaster says
Is going to happen more often with hundreds maybe thousands of (foreing mostly) students pilots in these schools out of the Flagler airport. They need to have these aiports strictly for schools out in the country away from overpopulated areas…after all those foreign students all come from rich backgrounds have them pay for their airport appropriately located. Not us the taxpayers paying for it and enduring the danger and nuisance on the ground. One thing is the airport for executive use….totally different color beast housing the arrogantly managed schools. Thank you Flaglerlive for the detailed report. The one case that landed in the Palm Coast Parkway years ago did it in front of our store in the St Joe Business center. Then Parkway was not as busy as today as some tragedy would have taken place! Then car drivers were able to avoid collision. This aiport and John Michael Bingham a very arrogant owner of Phoenix East School along the county henchmen are taken the very quality of life and safety from Palmcoasters! Need to change that FCBOCC that controls and rules the airport.
Airport Supporter says
You realize the airport was there well before all the houses were built around it right? A lot of the smaller airports were funded by federal monies for military training many years ago. Also the likely hood of a plan falling on your house is extremely low. This same issue comes up with race tracks. People build close and them want to shut the places down. Find something more important to focus on and let people enjoy themselves and do things they want to do. Stop living scared by all the “what ifs” that control your life. Sign up for some flight lessons.
Pissed in my pants says
Airport Supporter: We are airport supporters too but the BS waivng of the shiny coin syndrome needs to stop. Yes this was a private plane but it ran out of power which translates why? This plane was as old as my grandpop and when was its last inspection? The least that owner owed to us people here on the ground was to have his plane in tip top shape and thankfully no one was hurt. No one is telling private plane owners not to fly but with that privilege of flying, cause it is a privilege, comes the responsibility of the proper maintenance and operations of ones ownership of a plane. People should not live by what ifs but we should live realistically, planes have fallen out the sky, crashed into homes killing people and onto highways and local roads, with the increase in the number of flight schools flying over our communities the more prone we are to incidents. We need to feel safe in our community too.
Roy Longo says
This airport was “strictly for schools out in the country away from overpopulated areas.” Then it was turned over to the County after WWII and until late 90’s, early 2000’s was still very rural. That’s when a tower was built by the FAA and the airport became busier, but STILL fairly rural. It was then that the airport began to get busier. Once everyone started building around the airport, (which I am sure you knew about when you built your house), the complaints started. The airport has been here for longer than the vast majority of the County’s population. It’s not going anywhere.
Pissed in my pants says
Hi Roy, you do make alot of sense, especially the airport was “strickly for schools away from overpopulated areas”. and appears that it remained rural for quite awhile according to you. I liked to ask this question if I may, why then did developers build around it???? AND still intend to build around it, it’s happening as we speak. Wouldn’t it have made more common sense to just leave all that land for the airport as it had intensions of expanding??? It’s like I said in the past how in the world can anyone do “due diligence” when things change at the drop of a hat with rezoning, yes sure people knew they were buying next to the airport, but like you mention it was still quite rural. The REAL problems started when FCBOCC invited more flight schools in , I believe this was done because of the funding they get from the federal government, in other words the airport has no choice as they accept this funding but to allow these flight schools in. The average person buying a home here does not know this, and does not know how politics work, so you can’t blame them really as so much is hidden from the public sector. If you’re a military person or someone who works for the government then one would know the ins and outs of these issues. The only thing we can hope for now is that the airport and our officials becomes good neighbors within our community and enforces the voluntary noise abatement policies with the flight school owners and their instructors. Or possibly, with the funding the airport can construct another runway for these planes to be able to to fly over more rural areas, this should have been a part of their growth master plan since they were also aware of developers building around the airport.
Roy Longo says
Pant’s, your idea about another runway makes sense and I do believe at one time there was one the ran more north/south. From the south it is mostly wooded areas but being built up by the day. From the north is the high school and 100. In your first post you spoke of the age of the aircraft, which is not very relevant to the airworthiness of a plane. It is mostly about the engine that generally is newer and is inspected annually, including every inch of the plane. The Cessna 195 that crashed a couple days ago is a rare and expensive plane and because of that, is probably meticulously maintained. Sometimes crap happens.
Pissed in my pants says
Bartholomew: I guess that the people who were injured and killed on the ground with those other incidents just didn’t get that good feeling, it’s not just about the pilot!
Hmmm says
If that 2013 crash is the one i think you’re talking about, it didnt crash just short of the runway. It fell through the middle a house in the U section east of Seminole Woods Pkwy!!!! I was down the street when it happened. Those little planes are ALWAYS falling out of the sky somewhere. Im glad to hear nobody died in this incident.
Concerned Citizen says
As a pilot wth a lot of hours and an instrument rating.
Job well done getting that on the ground with very minimal injuries. As they say any landing you can walk away from is a good one.
I can see the comments coming so I will say this. Just like your car you drive every day planes sometimes have issues that require an emergency landing. And a pilots first concern is his crew and passengers. And any bystanders that might be in the way. And sometimes a highway is the only option you have.
Hopefully he will get right back up there. And continue his flying. Cessna’s are a lot of fun. And pretty reliable.
Celia M Pugliese says
To the lucky lady newcomer from Arizona that succesfully dodged the accident, welcome to Palm Coast the wild west traffic in the ground, air and waters. You are correct you never seeing or experience anything like this as thou regional Executive Airports dote the Maricopa Valley around cities of Phoenix, Glendale, Mesa, Tempe, Gilbert and Chandler myself never experience it either in long stays visiting my kids there. I believe those regional airports keep the schools and student pilots and others at bay under rules protecting the communities on the ground…not like here were the five in the county commission give them schools, aiport directors, students and others green flag to do as they please, after booted from other airports given the public outrage and for the sake of greed.
The voice of reason says
All these flight school planes, (propeller) pollute our neighborhoods with leaded gas emissions. They use leaded fuel. Children are harmed with lower iqs and cognitive disorders. Look up Reid hillview airport in Santa Clara county. (Think flint Michigan). Over 90% of flight traffic at Flagler airport come from Daytona flight schools. They treat Flagler as a toxig dump for noise and leaded airpoluting. Lead is toxic and does not break down over time. Close this dump of an airport!!!