Two dead after small jet with five on board crash lands on I-75 in Florida, cops say
A small jet crash landed into a car in southwest Florida on Friday, killing two people in a fiery collision that forced the closure of Interstate 75 near Naples, officials say.
Around 3:15 p.m., the plane crashed in the southbound lanes near mile marker 107 in Collier County, the Florida Highway Patrol said.
The National Transportation Safety Board confirmed the jet, a Bombardier Challenger 600, had flown from Ohio State University Airport. Before the crash, the pilot radioed that the plane had a dual engine failure as it was approaching the Naples airport.
Audio logs from LiveATC.net detail the moments before the crash.
“Lost both engines, emergency. I’m making an emergency landing,” the pilot could be heard telling the Naples Airport tower. “We’re clear to land, but we are not going to make the runway. We’ve lost both engines.”
Five people were aboard the aircraft, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. The Collier County Sheriff’s Office confirmed two deaths.
On Saturday, the sheriff’s office said pilot Edward Daniel Murphy, 50, of Oakland Park, and co-pilot Frederick Hofmann, 65, of Pompano Beach, were killed.
The survivors were crew member Sydney Ann Bosmans, 23, of Jupiter; and passengers Aaron Baker, 35, and Audra Green, 23, both of Columbus, Ohio. All three were taken to the hospital to be treated for injuries.
Traffic on I-75 came to a standstill as flames rose up from the roadway. The section of I-75 where the crash happened continued to be closed Saturday afternoon.
The fire was extinguished just after 4:30 p.m., WBBH reported.
The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating.
This story was originally published February 9, 2024 at 1:26 PM with the headline "Two dead after small jet with five on board crash lands on I-75 in Florida, cops say."
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