Plane Flown To U.S. By Cuban National Last Month Crashes In Everglades

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, FL — A small plane that was piloted by a defecting Cuban national last month crashed in the Florida Everglades Monday afternoon, according to multiple reports.

The Soviet-era biplane, an Antonov An-2, crashed into the swamp just west of Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport around 1:30 p.m.

The plane experienced mechanical problems and tried landing on a dirt road, the Miami Herald reported. Though it flipped over as it touched down, both people on board walked away from the crash uninjured.

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The Miami-Dade Police Department’s Aviation Unit was patrolling the area when it spotted the plane crash, WSVN said.

The plane features yellow and blue identifiers showing it belongs to the Empresa Cubana de Servicios Aéreos, which sends crop dusters to agricultural areas of Cuba.

The plane’s tail numbers show that it’s the same one that was flown by Cuban defector Ruben Martinez Machado and landed near the runway of the Dade-Collier Airport on Oct. 21 when it ran low on fuel, according to Local 10 News.

The 29-year-old pilot from Sancti Spiritus, Cuba — about 270 miles from the Everglades — was still in the custody of U.S. immigration authorities on Monday night, reports said.

The crash is under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board, according to CBS News.