UPDATE 5:18 p.m.:
Authorities have identified the pilot who disappeared from the scene after making a hard landing at the Naples Airport early Tuesday morning, leaving their plane nose-first in the grass.
Airport officials called the incident highly unusual.
WATCH TO SEE WHAT THE PLANE LOOKED LIKE AFTER IT WAS LEFT ABANDONED NEAR THE RUNWAY:
“We came in at about five o’clock this morning and realized we had an aircraft in the middle of the field,” said airport spokesperson Robin King.
King said the 1972 Cessna plane veered off the runway and was visibly damaged. Security personnel later reported seeing two people leave the plane at the airport shortly after the incident.
“Our security released two people from the airfield overnight. They were fine. They walked away, and that’s really all we know,” King said.
A few hours later, King said the pilot — identified as Brianna Brown — returned and met with Naples Police and airport staff to report what happened.
“A short while ago the pilot of the aircraft showed up here at the airport and met with the Naples Police Department and a member of our operations team,” King said in an afternoon update.
FAA records show it is registered in the Miami area, though the registration remains pending. King said the pilot appeared to have rented the plane and flew from the Fort Lauderdale area.
“The FAA will be investigating. It’s totally out of our hands at this point, and so we’re going to find out why it happened,” King said.
The other person on board has not been identified, but airport officials said Brown is cooperating.
The FAA did not immediately respond to media inquiries citing the active federal government shutdown.
It is not clear whether the pilot or the other person on board face any charges.
ORIGINAL REPORTING
UPDATE 12:25 PM:
Naples Airport Authority has identified the pilot involved in this incident.
UPDATE 7:15 AM:
The Naples Airport said they originally discovered the plane around 4:00 a.m. But, no one was at the scene, according to the airport.
One runway is still closed as of 7:10 a.m., they said, while a second reopened as they clear the scene.
The airport told Fox 4 that they believe the plane must have been performing 'touch-and-go' practice loops, and so there is no flight number. They can confirm, though, that the pilot did not work for Naples Airport, and that the control tower is not open overnight.
The FAA is investigating.
ORIGINAL:
Naples Police confirmed to Fox 4 that a plane slid off a runway at the Naples Airport, Tuesday morning.
The Collier County 911 Center said the call came in just before 6 a.m. No injuries are reported, according to officers.
The police department said it was a small aircraft involved, though the number of people onboard - and where it was coming from - are still unclear at this time.
Naples Police are investigating with firefighters. They had one runway shutdown, but police say it is open again as of 7 a.m.
We have a team headed to the scene and will update this article when we learn more.
