Video shows plane was very close to homes before crash in Port LaBelle

The passenger of a small airplane survived a crash in Port LaBelle recently. The plane crashed right in front of a community church. It flew low over a neighborhood and then crashed into a tree on the house of worship’s property.

The passenger was able to share a lot with investigators about the minutes leading up to the crash. He told them the pilot knew what he was doing, saying he was very thorough. Sadly, he did not survive the crash and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Passenger James Mullins told investigators he had no memory of the flight before it crashed right into a cluster of trees next to Church of the Good Shepherd.

Nearby neighbors described video showing the plane moments before the crash as eerie. They’re thankful the plane didn’t crash in their nearby community, where it could have claimed more lives.

“I didn’t realize, until we looked back at or footage, that it flew over right over our house,” neighbor Colton Summerlin said.

Summerlin was at work when the plane crashed but says he’s thankful his family wasn’t hurt.

“It could have been our house if it was 30 seconds sooner, you know, and I got a lot of kids,” Summerlin said.

We showed the video to other neighbors who didn’t realize how close the plane came to crashing in their community.

“So that was the sound I heard,” Cassie Lott said. “We heard it from here inside the house.”

According to the report, a witness saw the plane flying low, just above the trees.

That woman said the plane wasn’t making any noise, and it appeared as though the propellers weren’t moving. On top of that, she says the landing gear was down.

“I’m so sorry for what happened to the person,” Lott said. “Someone lost their life. I mean, I’m thankful it didn’t fall on our homes. But that’s scary.”

Neighbors are left with an uneasy feeling after watching this video, describing the sound of the crash as chilling.

“That was really close to the ground, what I just saw on there,” Terrie Pearce said.

The National Transportation Safety Board says parts of the left engine showed normal signs of wear; however, they are continuing their investigation of the right engine from the plane.

NTSB has not released more information about what might have gone wrong in the plane before it crashed at the church.