A small plane crashed in the parking lot of a Cape Coral motel Friday morning, hitting power lines and missing the hotel itself by feet.
The plane went down in a densely populated part of Cape Coral, near downtown and not far from the Caloosahatchee River. It ended up upside down in the parking lot of the Dolphin Key Resort on Miramar Street.
Officials say no one on the ground was hurt, and the pilot was seen scurrying from the mangled machine. The pilot is hospitalized. There is no word on his condition.
FAA officials are on their way to the scene, but witnesses say they heard no engine noise seconds before the crash and officials say the pilot radioed that he was having engine problems. It is possible though unconfirmed that the pilot had just taken off from or was trying to land at Page Field, across the river from the crash scene.
Power lines clipped by the aircraft as it crashed, cutting power to as many as two thousand homes and businesses.