HOLLYWOOD, Fla.—A pilot died after a small banner-towing plane crashed and burst into flames Wednesday afternoon in South Florida, officials said.
The single-engine Piper PA-25-235 went down next to the parking lot of a Hollywood shopping center, the Sun Sentinel reported. The plane had departed from the nearby North Perry Airport in Pembroke Pines, airport officials said. Hollywood is about 20 miles north of Miami.
Hollywood police said the plane caught fire when it hit the ground, and firefighters responded to the scene within several minutes to put it out.
The National Transportation Safety Board said the deceased pilot, who officials didn’t immediately name, was the plane’s sole occupant. No injuries were reported to anyone on the ground.
NTSB investigators will arrive at the scene on Thursday, and the plane will be transported to an off-site facility to be investigated, officials said. The Federal Aviation Administration will assist in the investigation.
