Plane Crash Lands Into Florida Waters

March 30, 2011 ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - A small plane crashed into the water off of Albert Whitted Airport as it was attempting a landing on Sunday. Around 12:30 p.m., a T-28 Warbird, part of the Honda Grand Prix race opening ceremonies, crashed into the water as it was attempting a landing after reporting mechanical difficulties. According to St. Petersburg officials, rescue personnel pulled the pilot and one passenger from the water to begin treatment. Both the pilot and passenger suffered minor injuries. Federal Aviation Administration officials are investigating what happened. Dave Darby and Kirk Asche, who live in Apollo Beach, captured the crash on-camera from a nearby tower. The video shows the plane was unable to reach the runway and crashed into the water. Darby and Asche talked to the pilot and the passenger after the crash. "According to the guy in the back, he knew they weren't going to make the runway and he pushed the stick forward and pushed them down in the water," Asche said, adding the two men were worried about crashing into the sea wall. "It was surreal," Darby said of seeing the crash happen. "Did I really just see that happen?" A similar incident occurred Friday afternoon. The plane also crashed into the water, but the pilot was unhurt.