Pilot critical after glider crash near Winter Haven high school – WSVN 7News | Miami News, Weather, Sports

There was trouble in the skies when a pilot made a hard landing in a central Florida neighborhood.

For Sylvia Madero, who has lived in Winter Haven for 30 years, it's not unusual to hear sports games at a high school across the street or from a regional airport a few miles away.

But nothing could have prepared her family for what they heard while at home Saturday afternoon.

“We heard a little boom or something, and my daughter said to me, 'Mom, there's a plane crash in front of the house,'” Madero said. “She sent me a photo and a video, and I was somewhere else, but I heard the boom.”

They went outside to find a mangled mess on their street: a crashed airplane glider surrounded by debris, its battery exposed.

“It looks like the front part is intact. The back, I don’t know where it is,” Madero said.

Police said one person, the pilot, was on board when the glider crashed. It is unclear which airport he was coming from or heading to.

The pilot survived but was airlifted to hospital with serious injuries.

Police investigated throughout the day Saturday to try to determine the cause of the accident.

Madero said she was grateful no one on the ground was injured.

“It looks like maybe they were targeting the field or something, but they didn't cause any damage to our street, you know? she says.

It is unclear whether or not the plane destroyed any power lines. Utility crews were in the area, but Madero said she never lost power.

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