At 13:01 eastern time, a Robinson R22 Beta helicopter crashed after an attempted prison break when it struck trees shortly after takeoff from the Martin County Treatment Center. The student-rated pilot and the prisoner he attempted to free were not injured in the crash and were apprehended the next day. The student was receiving instruction from a flight school in Fort Lauderdale and had been signed off for a solo flight from Fort Lauderdale to Pahokee, Fla., and Stuart, Fla. However, he diverted to the prison and hovered over the facilitys recreation yard while the prisoner climbed aboard.
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