OCEAN RIDGE, Fla. -- A small airplane clipped a police station that was under construction and crashed on a busy coastal highway Tuesday afternoon.

The Cessna crashed shortly before 1 p.m., hitting the Ocean Ridge Police Department's new headquarters and a Florida Power & Light utility pole before coming to rest on State Road A1A.

A Boynton Beach fire-rescue crew saw the plane go down and quickly arrived at the scene, stopping the plane from ever catching fire.

The 60-year-old pilot was the sole occupant and had to be extricated from the wreckage. He was conscious when he was taken to the Delray Beach Medical Center.

"We really thought the guy was dead," said Sherri Minervino, who was on vacation from Connecticut when she witnessed the crash.

The crash knocked out power to more than 1,500 homes in the area. FPL spokeswoman Sharon Bennett said 900 customers had power restored by 6 p.m. Tuesday.

A total of four power poles were damaged.

"He hit one pole, but by hitting the one pole, it knocked the others over and knocked their switches off and they broke," said Bennett. "It was with that much force."

The 402B Cessna is registered to Jean Bayardelle, of Boynton Beach, but it was not clear if he was piloting the plane.