A flight that nearly ended in tragedy for a family of four has been attributed to two fundamental errors made by an experienced pilot, according to a new official report. The incident saw a private aircraft crash into a residential neighbourhood in Florida, miraculously resulting only in minor injuries.
The Flight and the Fatal Mistakes
On 13 July, Carlos Cardenas, 58, was piloting his Cessna aircraft back from Puerto Rico to his home in Pembroke Pines, Florida, with his family on board. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigation, detailed by the Sun Sentinel, reveals the chain of events began before takeoff. The plane had no mechanical faults, but Cardenas's first critical error was incorrectly converting fuel quantities from pounds to gallons.
This miscalculation directly impacted his fuel planning and the crucial weight and balance calculations for the aircraft. Compounding this, the experienced pilot, who had over 1,300 hours of flight time, overloaded the plane by approximately 500 pounds. The combination of insufficient fuel and excess weight proved catastrophic.
The Crash and the Miraculous Rescue
During the descent towards North Perry Airport, the rear engine failed due to fuel exhaustion. The second engine quickly lost power afterwards, unable to maintain altitude under the excessive load. The plane plunged into the Pines Village neighbourhood, narrowly missing homes before striking a tree and coming to rest on grass.
Dramatic footage captured the heart-stopping moment of impact. Alert neighbours were first on the scene, rushing to aid the family as the wreckage smoked. One resident desperately sprayed a garden hose on the aircraft, fearing an explosion, while others helped Cardenas's two teenage daughters from the destroyed plane. Paramedics arrived to treat the family; all four occupants survived with minor injuries, though Cardenas required a neck brace and a gurney.
Aftermath and Airport Safety Concerns
In the months following the crash, Carlos Cardenas lost his private pilot's licence. By late October, he was issued only a student licence and prohibited from carrying passengers. The incident has intensified longstanding local concerns about safety at North Perry Airport.
The airport, operational since the 1940s and hosting around 317,000 flights annually as a base for 11 flight schools, has seen more than 30 crashes since 2019. Nearly 200 frustrated residents attended a Broward County town hall in August, demanding action. Mayor Angelo Castillo voiced the community's anger, stating, "We can’t run the city around an airport that has this frequency and variety of crashes. The lives of our residents... are simply too precious for that." County officials are now considering a new safety study in response to the pressure.
