St Petersburg police spokesman Rob Shaw tells news outlets that neither the unidentified 18-year-old pilot nor a 17-year-old passenger was hurt in yesterday's incident, despite one of the plane's wings being damaged after clipping a tree.
Shaw says the 1939 Taylorcraft, one of three planes flying from Lakeland to Manatee County, was experiencing mechanical problems.
Police say the pilot was initially going to attempt to land at Albert Whitted Airport in St Petersburg, but realized he was not going to make it there.