NAPLES, Fla. – A pilot and co-pilot were identified as the two killed in a fiery plane crash on a Florida highway, law enforcement officials said Saturday afternoon.
The Collier County Sheriff’s Office identified Edward Daniel Murphy, a 50-year-old pilot and co-pilot Ian Frederick Hofmann, 65, as the deceased. The three survivors were crew member Sydney Ann Bosmans, 23, and passengers Aaron Baker, 35, and Audra Green, 23, both of Columbus, Ohio. The three were taken to a local hospital for injuries. Their conditions are unknown.
Moments before the private jet slammed into a Florida highway, the pilot had calmly told an airport controller that the aircraft “was not going to make the runway” because it had lost both engines.
The jet, with five people aboard, was bound for the airport in Naples when it tried to make an emergency landing on Interstate 75 on Friday afternoon. But witnesses say it collided with a vehicle — the wing of the plane dragging a car before slamming into a wall. An explosion followed, with flames and black smoke rising from the scene.
Two people were killed, according to the Collier County Sheriff’s Office.
Federal authorities have launched an investigation into the crash near Naples, just north of where the interstate heads east toward Fort Lauderdale along what is known as Alligator Alley.
Ed Booth, a Jacksonville aviation expert, said it’s uncommon for a business jet to have dual-engine failure.
“I’ve looked at the flight tracking data and it’s apparent that this engine failure occurred at about 1500 feet because there’s a dramatic drop in airspeed that is maintained until contact with the ground less than a minute later,” Booth said.
He added that there are several factors that investigators will examine.
“It’s apparent there was adequate fuel on board given the nature of the fire, that we’ll want to find out why was the fuel not getting to the engines if in fact, that was the problem,” Booth said.
He also said they’ll look at if the flight crew inadvertently shut off the engines, but he finds that highly improbable.
“I think a bird strike is one of the few ways one can explain a dual engine failure,” Booth said. “Such as this, everything was absolutely normal until the last minute of the flight. “I can’t think of any other reason that would cause a dual engine failure such as this.”
The plane had taken off from an airport at Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio, about 1 p.m. It was scheduled to land in Naples around the time of the crash, Naples Airport Authority spokesperson Robin King said, when the pilot contacted the tower requesting an emergency landing.
“Got that. Emergency. Clear to land. Runway. Two. Three,” the air traffic controller responded to the pilot, in audio obtained by The Associated Press.
“We’re clear to land, but we’re not gonna make the runway. We’ve lost both engines," the pilot calmly replied.
The tower lost contact, and then airport workers saw the smoke from the interstate just a few miles away, King said.
King said they sent fire trucks with special foam to the scene, and three of the five people on board were taken from the wreckage alive.
Brianna Walker saw the wing of the plane drag the car in front of hers and slam into the wall.
“It’s seconds that separated us from the car in front of us,” she said. “The wing pulverized this one car.”
Walker and her friend spotted the plane moments before it hit the highway, allowing her friend to pull over before the crash.
“The plane was over our heads by inches,” she said. “It took a hard right and skid across the highway.”
According to the FlightAware aircraft tracker, the plane was operated by Hop-a-Jet Worldwide Charter based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The aircraft had been scheduled to fly back to Fort Lauderdale on Friday afternoon.
Hop-a-Jet said Friday night that it had “received confirmed reports of an accident involving one of our leased aircraft near Naples” and would send a team to the crash site, the Naples Daily News reported.
“Our immediate concern is for the well-being of our passengers, crew members, and their families,” the statement said. It didn’t contain details of the crash.
A spokesperson for Ohio State University said the aircraft is not affiliated with the university, and they had no further information about it.
Federal authorities said a preliminary report about the cause of the crash can be expected in 30 days. Booth said the engines and the tail compartment not burning in the fire will give investigators a lot of evidence to work with.
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Cline reported from Baton Rouge, Louisiana.