Members of the Indian River County Fire Rescue Division carry an occupant involved in a plane crash Friday afternoon south of the intersection of 12th Street and 34th Avenue in the Sun Villas subdivision. Photo by Sam Wolfe/TCPalm.

INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — The flight instructor and student of Friday’s plane crash were upgraded to stable condition Saturday, said deputy Jeff Luther, Indian River County Sheriff’s Office spokesman.

The instructor was in stable condition with two broken wrists at Lawnwood Regional Medical Center & Heart Institute, Luther said. He could be released in a couple of days, said the hospital’s spokeswoman Jana Eschbach.

The student is in Holmes Regional Medical Center in Melbourne, Luther said.

READ FULL STORY, WATCH VIDEO, BROWSE MORE PICTURES

The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the crash.

BROWSE MORE PHOTOS

Details of his condition were not available on Saturday.

The names of the instructor and student have not been released.

When the plane crashed south of 12th Street near 34th Avenue in the Sun Villas subdivision, the pilot and student were conducting touch-and-go maneuvers, where the plane lands and then pulls up, FAA spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen said on Saturday.

Officials on Saturday still were investigating what caused the 1979 twin engine Piper Seneca PA - 34-200 T to crash.

The small white and turquoise plane, which officials said was on its way to the Vero Beach Municipal Airport, struck a tree within less than 50 yards of several homes.

On Friday, the plane’s owner, Dr. William Lois, a New York surgeon, said he didn’t know the flight instructor or the student injured in the crash. He said the plane was “impeccably maintained” and leased to Paris Aviation for flying purposes.

“My only concern is with the pilot and the student,” Lois said.

Rescue workers struggle to free one of the passengers of the plane crash in the Sun Villas subdivision Friday afternoon. Trees slowed their efforts. Photo by Kelly Rogers/TCPalm.

This entry was posted on Saturday, March 6th, 2010 at 11:25 am and is filed under Stuart. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.