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Amid Spate of Crashes, Investigators, Pilots Weigh in on South Florida Air Safety

Photo: Rachel Iacovone, WGCU
A small plane crashed into a building at Chico's headquarters

Southwest Florida has seen two well-publicized small plane crashes into buildings or onto city streets in recent weeks. With another fatal crash in the Everglades last month, attention has been focused on South Florida air traffic and what could be behind the deadly incidents.

Leah Read, an investigator with the National Transportation Safety Board, joins the show to discuss the latest incidents in South Florida airspace, how the organization determines the cause of such accidents, and what pilots are trained to do during such emergencies.

Also joining the program is local flight instructor Ed Fink, who’s been teaching in Southwest Florida since the 1990s, about the flying scene in the area. We’ll learn who’s earning their wings to fly down here, what kinds of planes are being flown, and how many hours of practice they need before take-off.

Matthew Smith is a reporter and producer of WGCU’s Gulf Coast Live.
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