A trip from Nashville to Wichita, Kansas went from normal to terrifying after the plane carrying two teenagers had its engine die, forcing one of the teenagers to crash land onto a Kansas golf course.
The pilot was 17-year-old Christian Dell and the passenger was 18-year-old Nicole Klusener, who were in Nashville visiting Klusener's aunt, Tawnya Zeller. They made plans to rent the plane and fly it themselves to Nashville and back.
The two had flown to Nashville with no problems and spent spring break with Zeller, and on Friday, they planned to fly from Nashville to Jabara Airport in Wichita.
Dell, a certified pilot, was flying a M20C-Mooney when the engine failed. He was able to land the plane on the 14th hole at the Tallgrass Country Club, narrowly missing nearby homes.
"Being a pilot at 17, he's just very responsible and he kept a level head, and he was able to miss houses and trees and power lines and put it down on the golf course," Zeller said.
Nikki Womack said she and her daughter saw the plane fly very low over their neighbor's home before crashing onto the golf course.
Womack said the boy got out and was bleeding from the head, followed by the woman, who had a serious eye injury.
"They're very lucky to be alive," Zeller said.
Their injuries were not considered critical. Luckily no one was out on the golf course at the time of the crash.
According to reports, the teens had rented the airplane from a flight training company called Sabris Corporaton, and they were flying back to Wichita where they're from.
The FAA and NTSB have been investigating the plane's engine failure.
