Two individuals lost their lives following a distressing incident involving a small private jet attempting an emergency landing on Interstate 75 in southwest Florida on Friday afternoon.
The plane collided with two vehicles, resulting in a halt in traffic as thick black smoke billowed into the sky.
The crash occurred near the Pine Ridge Road exit in Collier County, just north of the point where the interstate veers east toward Fort Lauderdale along Alligator Alley.
Eyewitness Brianna Walker recounted seeing the plane’s wing drag a car ahead of hers, causing a devastating impact.
“It’s seconds that separated us from the car in front of us,” she recalled.
“The wing pulverized this one car.”
Walker and her companion managed to spot the plane moments before the collision, enabling them to pull over before the disaster unfolded.
“The plane was over our heads by inches,” she described.
“It took a hard right and skid across the highway.”
Following the crash, an explosion of flames erupted from the aircraft, accompanied by a loud boom, with debris from the plane strewn across the highway.
“It feels unreal, like a movie,” Walker expressed.
“It was seconds between us dying.”
The Florida Highway Patrol reported that the plane also struck a pickup truck on the highway.
Identified as a Bombardier Challenger 600 jet by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the aircraft had five occupants on board during the crash, which occurred around 3:15 pm local time.
According to Robin King, spokesperson for the Naples airport authority, the plane had departed from an airport at Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio, at approximately 1 pm. It was en route to Naples when the emergency unfolded.
A distress call from the pilot, indicating a loss of both engines, preceded the crash.
King stated that airport personnel observed smoke rising from the interstate just a few miles away after losing contact with the aircraft.
Emergency response teams dispatched fire trucks equipped with special foam to the scene, rescuing three of the five individuals from the wreckage.
Adam Fisher, spokesperson for the Collier County Sheriff’s Office, confirmed two fatalities but did not immediately specify whether they were passengers aboard the plane or individuals on the ground.
Molly Best, spokesperson for the Highway Patrol, revealed that three individuals from the plane survived, while two others succumbed to their injuries.
However, she refrained from divulging whether the fatalities were occupants of the plane or the involved vehicles, citing ongoing efforts to notify next of kin.
FlightAware.com’s aircraft tracker indicated that the plane was operated by Hop-a-Jet Worldwide Charter, based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
The aircraft was scheduled to return to Fort Lauderdale later that Friday afternoon. Requests for comment from Hop-a-Jet went unanswered.
A spokesperson for Ohio State University clarified that the aircraft was not associated with the university, offering no further details about its ownership or operation.
The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will conduct an investigation, with the NTSB taking the lead.
Initial steps involve documenting the scene and examining the aircraft, which will subsequently be transported to a secure facility for further analysis.
A preliminary report regarding the crash’s cause is anticipated within 30 days.
The Florida Highway Patrol announced the closure of southbound lanes on the interstate and advised motorists to seek alternative routes as investigations continue.
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