One killed, 1 injured in plane crash at TCoast Airport

ST. LUCIE COUNTY — One person was killed in a plane crash Saturday afternoon during a training flight at Treasure Coast International Airport, and a second person in the airplane was taken to a nearby hospital, authorities said.

The Piper PA-44 aircraft crashed at the Fort Pierce-area airport at about 1:15 p.m. during a training flight, said Peter Knudson, a spokesman for the National Transportation Safety Board. The NTSB is investigating the crash, he said.

Typically that type of plane is owned and operated by a flight school, but Knudson said he could not confirm information about its ownership or the people on board.

Firefighters used equipment to remove both occupants and pronounced one person dead at the crash site, and transported another to a local hospital, said Brenda Stokes, spokeswoman for the St. Lucie County Fire District.

According to the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office, the two were trapped inside the twin-engine aircraft. No further details about the crash, including the identities of the plane's occupants or who was piloting the plane, were available Saturday evening.

A sheriff's office spokesperson could not immediately be reached for comment Saturday, but in a social media post the agency said deputies are assisting the NTSB at the airport in the investigation.

Corey Arwood is a breaking news reporter for TCPalm. Follow @coreyarwood on X, email corey.arwood@tcpalm.com or call 772-978-2246.

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This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: One killed in flight-training crash at Treasure Coast Airport