LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The pilot who crash landed in the middle of a busy St. Matthews street dreamed of a career in aviation. And as Evan Peele recovers from serious injuries and burns in the hospital this week, his family said he wants to fly again.

The crash happened around 6 p.m. Oct. 11 near Baptist Health Hospital at Breckinridge Lane and Kresge Way, parallel to a row of apartments. The streets were packed with people driving home from work, out to dinner or shopping in the plazas nearby.

Jessica Deis and her 25-year-old flight instructor, Peele, were on the plane when it experienced engine trouble on a training flight and lost power. Somehow, no one in the plane or on the ground died.

"It's 'Thank God' time," Bill Menish, Peele's cousin, said Thursday. "I can't believe it looks that bad and he's going to be OK."

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 doctors already completed multiple surgeries to repair breaks and to get screws in places to reattach bones. 

"I can't say it enough that he's just amazed that he survived it, and he's so grateful," Menish said.

Breckenridge plane crash 10-11-24 (2).jpg

A small plane crashed on Kresge Way near Breckenridge Lane, near Baptist East, in St. Matthews on Friday, Oct. 11, 2024.

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 away from the plane. He was covered in fuel when it went down, his family said.

"We actually don't know what the burns are from," Menish said. "We just don't know, but they discovered it and are treating him. And everybody knows that burn treatments are among the worst."

He was moved to a burn unit 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. 

"He's in a lot of pain," Menish said. "... Quite frankly, some of the things that have gone out about his condition are a little underwhelming compared to reality. He's on a tough journey right now and he's at the very beginning of it."

'Hard for me to comprehend'

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.

Jimmy Eubanks was one of the first people on scene to help, only in Louisville that day to enjoy some bourbon tours. The 40-year paramedic lives in South Carolina and just happened to see the plane go down right in front of him, another miracle that day.

He helped pull Peele away from the wreckage and then went back to help free Diel.  

"The gasoline which was pouring out of the plane. It wasn't dripping. It was pouring out of the plane," Eubanks said. "... It was hard for me to comprehend that an accident of this caliber did not see the injuries that I've seen in the past."

Audio recordings from that night detail the chaos at Bowman Field and on the ground. Another pilot nearby is heard saying, "the aircraft went down just over to your left. Do you see anything on the ground there?"

And audio from the plane details how Bowman Field tried to locate the crash.

"Do you know if it was on the golf course?"

"I'm not sure. It's hard to tell from here. It looked like possibly on the golf course."

Evan Peele's Family

The plane crash came at a really tough time for 25-year-old Evan Peele and his wife. They were already under contract to buy their first home and closed on it from his hospital room.

Witnesses near the crash captured video of efforts to get the people injured out of harms way. Another pilot is heard saying, "Yeah, that aircraft just went down right in front of the hospital. Ambulance is at him now, looks like all the occupants are out. Emergency services are already on scene. The aircraft is wrecked, but everyone is OK."

"People are coming out and saying 'Hey we hope you're going to be OK' and 'What can we do to help?'" Menish said. "So he is honestly blessed and touched."

Officials said the plane suffered some kind of engine trouble, and Peele took control from his co-pilot in the descent. His family is thankful for what went right in the face of all that could have gone wrong.

"His determination to heal, his desire — unbelievable desire — to get back in the air," Menish said. "He loves to fly. It's his passion."

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

Love ones set up a GoFundMe page to help Peele with medical bills and other expenses. As of this writing, it's raised more than $16,000. The plane crash came at a really tough time for the 25-year-old and his wife. They were already under contract to buy their first home and closed on it from his hospital room Monday.

If you'd like to help in another way, you can dine at all three Diorio's Pizza & Pub locations in the Louisville area Oct. 23. Each location will donate a portion of their proceeds to the Peeles.

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