Chico’s day care to remain closed after plane crash

FORT MYERS, Fla. The day care center at Chico’s will be closed Monday, a spokesperson for the company said, two days after a small plane crashed into it.

The rest of the campus at the company’s headquarters will be open, spokeswoman Jessica Wells said. The day care center was closed and empty at the time of the crash, which killed a passenger and seriously injured the pilot.

Parents whose children go to the day care may either work remotely, stay home with their children, or both on Monday, Wells said. It’s unclear when the day care, which is independently owned but serves the children of Chico’s employees, will reopen.

The remains of the downed plane were removed Sunday morning from the roof of the day care on 11215 Metro Parkway. The wreckage will go to an aircraft salvage facility near Jacksonville, according to officials.

The day care building suffered significant damage when the Piper PA-28-181 aircraft crashed into it around 8 a.m. Saturday following takeoff from Page Field, officials said.

Pilot Anthony Greco Jr., president of the Fort Myers Flying Club, managed to get out of the plane moments before it burst into flames. He was taken to Lee Memorial Hospital with serious injuries, but was no longer listed as a patient there by Sunday afternoon.

The National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the crash over a period of 10-14 days.

Flying comes with an inherent risk, local contractor and pilot Steve Barbour said.

“It’s sad to see that that happens, but as a pilot myself, I know accidents can happen,” Barbour said. “It’s something that could happen — but it’s a rarity.”

Dan Boggs, a National Transportation Safety Board Investigator, agreed that crashes like the one that took place Saturday are the exception to the rule.

“Planes are a lot safer than cars, and pilots are very well trained,” Boggs said. “I’ve been a pilot for 22 years and you go through a lot of training.”

The circumstances leading up to the incident and identity of the person killed in the wreck are unclear.

WINK News reporter Jessica Alpern uploaded video and went live via Facebook as the remnants of the plane were taken away.