Two Dead After Jet Plane Crash Lands on Florida Highway and Collides with Vehicles – Reuters

By Steve Gorman

A private passenger jet carrying five individuals crash-landed on a busy highway in Florida, colliding with two ground vehicles in a fiery incident on Friday that resulted in two fatalities, according to authorities and news footage from the scene.

The Bombardier Challenger 600 business jet, which departed from Ohio, was approaching Naples Airport when the pilot reported a failure of both turbofan engines, as stated by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).

Images from the scene captured the aircraft engulfed in flames and smoke after it crash-landed on Interstate 75 near Naples, along Florida’s Gulf Coast, eventually coming to rest beside a roadside retaining wall.

The Florida Highway Patrol reported that the plane struck a car and a pickup truck on the highway.

According to the NTSB and the Federal Aviation Administration, the jet was carrying five individuals. Highway Patrol spokesperson Molly Best confirmed that three people from the plane survived, while two others were killed. However, she did not specify if the fatalities were from the aircraft occupants or the vehicles involved, stating that next of kin were still being notified.

Details about the number of individuals in the affected car and truck have not been released.

A Miami-based television station reported that the pilot was heard on an air traffic control recording informing the Naples control tower that both engines had failed, making it impossible to reach the airport.

The flight, operated by a charter aviation company, was reportedly destined for an executive airport in Fort Lauderdale, where the company is headquartered. The flight originated at an airport in Columbus, Ohio.

Members of the NTSB crash investigation team arrived at the scene within a few hours to begin their assessment.