(OCALA, FL.) May 8, 2025 - Ocala Fire Rescue units were dispatched to an aircraft emergency near Ocala International Airport on Wednesday, May 7, around 9:30 p.m., after the 9-1-1 call center received reports of a possible plane crash in the area.

With the assistance of a third-party pilot flying overhead and communicating with Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting (ARFF) 1, as well as a passerby who used his vehicle lights to illuminate the crash site, crews located a small plane resting outside the airport property approximately 20 feet from the southbound lanes of SW 67th Avenue Road.

Upon arrival, ARFF 1, Engine 6, Squad 7, Engine 4, and Battalion Chief 11 found the small aircraft upright with its nose on the ground. The pilot was still inside the plane and required extrication.

Crews assessed and stabilized the patient before focusing on the extrication process. Using a Rescue-42 stabilizer to secure the aircraft and prevent any movement, Engine 4 secured the plane while Engine 6 and Squad 7 cut the backrest of the pilot's seat for a safe removal.

Extrication was completed within six minutes, and the patient was transported to the hospital by Marion County Fire Rescue as a trauma alert.

The Federal Aviation Administration is leading the investigation. 

The Ocala Police Department also responded to the scene.