Exclusive: Pilots Describe Moments Before Crash Landing In Waters Off Haulover Beach
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) – Two pilots in training vividly described the moments when they lost power in the engine in their single-engine plane and were forced to make a life-or-death decision.
Pilots Fabian Bobadilla and Juan Ortiz said they were flying low – less than 2,000 feet due to commercial airspace above them – when they realized their engine failed.
"I put like full power and it was like, 'What the hell? It isn't working!'" Ortiz said.
In a matter of a minute or so, the new private pilots who are still training had to decide where to land.
They said the street was full of cars and people and the beach was crowded too.
"We were like, man, I don't want to hurt anyone," said Bobadilla.
That left the ocean.
Ortiz feared the worst.
"I thought it was going to be like in the movies," Ortiz said. "All of a sudden you hit the water and the windows were going to break and the water it come inside and you won't be able to get outside," he said.
"When the plane crashed, I feel like, "Oh man. I'm going to die,'" Bobadilla said.
But they survived, with barely a scratch.
"When we got out of the plane, we just hugged, man, and said, 'Man, we're alive. We did it man,'" Bobadilla said.
Bobadilla said they've been trained well and their instincts plus a little luck and a good landing saved them and others.
"We didn't hurt any people," Bobadilla said. "I think we did our best."
The pilots said they've flown out of Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport twice since the crash and they plan to fly again on Saturday.
Both pilots met Friday with investigators from the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board as those agencies investigate what happened during the crash.
