SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The four passengers who survived a fiery plane crash in Wilton Thursday are expected to make a full recovery, according to first responders with Sacramento Metro Fire Department.
Friday, neighbors are celebrating a good Samaritan who sprang into action to help the survivors.
“There hasn’t been enough said about him,” said Martin, a neighbor who lives only a few houses down from where the plane came crashing down. Martin asked ABC10 to only use his first name.
“He’s a hero in my eyes,” Martin said of Steve Scharf, who returned to the scene Friday to speak with investigators.
“I’m just super happy that everyone is OK,” Scharf said. “I’m glad that everything that I did in the moment without even thinking about it worked out. That’s all I can say.”
Scarf said he was driving a water well service truck on Alta Mesa Road Thursday afternoon when he watched the plane take flight, then crash. He immediately pulled over and tried to help.
“I saw the pilot with the broken leg doing an army crawl out of the fire. And that’s when I shot my fire extinguisher in his direction,” Scharf said. “And instructed him to just roll on his side to get as far away as possible before the fuel set fire.”
After clearing the survivors from harm, Scharf captured video of the plane engulfed in flames.
Authorities have not publicized the names of the survivors but described them as two adult males, a pregnant woman, and a teenage boy. Scharf said he believed the pilot suffered the worst injuries, including burns and an apparent broken leg. First responders transported the four survivors to the UC Davis burn unit, with the pilot transported by life flight.
Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board investigators were on scene Friday, surveying the area and snapping photographs of the wreckage. Little remains of the biplane, which came to rest just inside the front gate of a neighbor’s yard.
Other witnesses said the plane crashed shortly after taking off from a small airfield nearby. Several neighbors in the area share a passion for aviation.
With homes, power lines and other structures not far from the crash site, Scharf said it was a “miracle” the plane crashed where it did. He said he remained in contact with friends and family of the four survivors, and hoped to reunite with them when they are able.
“When I finally got home and all the adrenaline kind of settled down I got a little emotional about it,” Scharf said.
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