Small plane crashes in Big Cypress Nat’l Preserve; no apparent injuries

A small plane crashed in Big Cypress Nat’l Preserve, two miles south of Alligator Alley (I-75) near mile marker 55, on Tuesday morning.

The single-engine Piper Saratoga PA32 had two people aboard. Neither the pilot nor the passenger was injured, according to CCSO.

The sheriff’s office Drone Unit located the aircraft and several other agencies responded to assist including the National Park Service, Miami-Dade Fire Rescue, and FHP.

The pilot, Ernesto Raschio, and his passenger Jose Eccari emerged without a scratch.

The occupants of the plane were rescued and flown to a nearby fire station.

Eccari said he doesn’t know what exactly made the plane go down, but believed it was likely engine failure.

Eccari was reunited with his mother at the fire station, and said, “She was the first person I called, she’s my mom my best friend my everything, I called and told her look, I’m OK, here’s my location if you want to come I’m good. You can wait for me at home, but she wasn’t going to wait for me. She went to i-75 and the helicopter took me to where I was at … I didn’t want to make her feel bad, be more worried, I’m alive and everything is good”