SARASOTA — Steven and Tonya Shivers were driving north on U.S. 41 Saturday afternoon when they saw a small plane flying low and heading toward the New College of Florida campus.

The couple turned into the school, saw the plane clip a tree and erupt in flames before crashing to the ground behind the R.V. Heiser Natural Science Complex. Smoke billowed from the area as firefighters extinguished the flames, leaving behind a heap of charred metal.