LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A private pilot injured in Friday's plane crash in St. Matthews has been released from the hospital. But the flight instructor who got the plane on the ground after it lost power still has a long road to recovery.

The incident happened around 6 p.m. Oct. 11 near Baptist Health Hospital at Breckinridge Lane and Kresge Way, parallel to a row of apartments.

Jessica Deis and flight instructor Evan Peele were on the plane when it experienced engine trouble on a training flight and lost power. 

Peele is still recovering at the hospital, and will soon go into rehabilitation. Officials said Peele's skill allowed him to get the plane to the ground without anyone suffering life-threatening injuries. 

"His training kicked in, he stayed calm and he made a decision where to land based on the conditions at that time," Dale Crigger, owner of the Kentucky Flight Training Center, said in a statement Monday.

Peele's family shared a statement on his recovery Monday evening. It was initially reported that Peele suffered a broken femur in the crash, but his family said what he has endured since Friday's crash "has been horrific."

In addition to a broken femur, Peele also broke a wrist, a heel, and sustained multiple gashes and burns to his backside. His family said Monday that he has already had multiple surgeries to repair breaks and to get screws in places to reattach bones. But his wife Breezy said he's "so grateful that family is surrounding him and supporting him."

Peele's family said that even from his hospital bed, he keeps saying "thank goodness Jessica is OK," referring to Deis. Deis had the controls and was flying the plane when it lost power and Peele took control to land it. 

Crigger said Deis was able to walk away from the crash, and said she attributes her safety to Peele's piloting skills. Peele, however, had to be pulled from the plane. His family said Monday he was covered in fuel and had to be pulled out before the plane caught on fire. 

Officials said Monday Peele's skill allowed him to get the plane to the ground without anyone suffering life-threatening injuries.

Deis and Peele were able to reunite Sunday. Crigger said both of them are doing well and look forward to getting back to flying.

Peele was moved to a burn unit on Monday for treatment of the burns on his backside, which his family said were causing him "intense pain." But, they said, it's just one of the first of many treatments he will have to face in his recovery.

His family said he will be able to share his story soon. In the meantime, he will be out of work as he continues his road to recovery. He and his wife, who have a young daughter, just signed the documents to close on their first home, and worry about making it work at this time. Because of that, friends and family have set up a GoFundMe page to help with medical bills and supplement Peele's lost income while he recovers. 

Darrell Watson, with Louisville Regional Airport Authority, said the Piper PA 28 aircraft was on approach to land on a runway at Bowman Field when it "descended onto Breckinridge Lane and made contact with a motor vehicle on landing." The plane also took out two utility lines and some traffic lights near Baptist East Hospital.

The person in the car was also hospitalized, but police have not released that person's condition.  

Audio recordings detail the moments before and after the crash. Peele can be heard saying "mayday, mayday, mayday ... we have no throttle."

Another pilot says "It was descending very rapidly, but right before the golf course ..." 

Then a pilot talking to the tower at Bowman Field said "Yeah, that aircraft just went down right in front of the hospital. Ambulance is at him now, looks like all the occupants are out."

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said it could take several months before their investigation is complete.

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