ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. — ON AIR: Hear from a friend who watched the plane flip on FOX30 and CBS47.
The upside-down plane at the Northeast Florida Regional Airport was being flown by world-renowned airshow pilot Patty Wagstaff, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
She took to Twitter after the crash to say, “We had a mechanical problem in our V Tail Bonanza after landing [at] St. Augustine this evening.”
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Wagstaff went on to say she and her passenger were doing OK.
Related: Plane piloted by aerobatic aviator Patty Wagstaff skids off runway at airport in St. Augustine
According to her online biography, she’s a six-time member of the U.S. aerobatic team, a gold, silver and bronze Olympic medalist and was the first woman to win the title of U.S. national aerobatic champion. She won the national award a total of three times.
Action News Jax Reporter Ryan Nelson caught up with Patty’s friend Jo Lancaster Wednesday night. She was at the airport when Wagstaff’s plane skidded off the runway and flipped.
“We just knew that everything seemed to be OK because we saw everyone emerging from the plane,” she said.
FHP tells us there were only minor injuries and no one went to the hospital.
The Federal Aviation Authority will be leading the ongoing investigation. Lancaster says she’s relieved to know everyone’s going to be OK.
“Well, she’s just an icon here, and we love her very much, and she had just been a real asset to this airport,” she said.
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