Woman's arm, foot severed by private plane propeller at Key West airport, authorities say
A propeller on a private plane severed a Florida woman's arm and foot, according to authorities.
The woman, a resident of Naples, was struck by the propeller at the Key West International Airport Saturday around 8:45 p.m., according to a news release by the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office.
The pilot and female passenger were preparing to taxi in the private plane when it "would not move or was having some other unknown mechanical issue," authorities said.
The pilot then exited the plane while it was still running to see if the blocks placed by the airplane tires when stationary on the tarmac were still in place. The passenger was struck by the propeller after she exited and walked to the front of the aircraft.
The victim was first taken to the Lower Keys Medical Center on Stock Island and later flown in stable condition to the Jackson Memorial Ryder Trauma Center in Miami, authorities said, adding that her condition on Sunday was not known.
It is also not clear what caused the plane to not move.
Additional information was not immediately available. The victim's identity was not released.
Florida Highway Patrol is conducting the investigation.
ABC News' Ben Stein contributed to this report.
