3 killed and 1 injured when plane crashes in South Florida near a major
highway
[April 12, 2025]
By STEPHANY MATAT and CURT ANDERSON
BOCA RATON, Fla. (AP) — Three people were killed and one was injured
when a small plane crashed Friday morning in South Florida near a major
interstate highway and pushed a car onto railroad tracks, officials
said.
Boca Raton Fire Rescue assistant chief Michael LaSalle said the plane
crash that killed all three people on board emitted a fireball when it
hit the ground, injuring a person in a nearby car. LaSalle said several
roads near the Boca Raton Airport will remain closed near Interstate 95.
The Federal Aviation Administration identified the plane as a Cessna 310
with three people on board. It went down about 10:20 a.m. after
departing from Boca Raton Airport bound for Tallahassee, the FAA said in
an email.
Fire officials told the South Florida Sun Sentinel that the aircraft
appeared to have pushed a car onto the railroad tracks, leading to the
tracks' closure.
Josh Orsino, 31, said he was stopped at a red light at a nearby overpass
when he heard a loud explosion and saw a huge fireball come toward him.
“We’re just sitting there, and I see the palm trees start catching on
fire,” Orsino said. “I thought it was an oil rig or a car crash type
thing.”
Orsino said everyone was honking and trying to get off the overpass, not
sure if it was going to collapse.
“So I didn’t know if the fire was going to come towards the vehicles, I
mean, my first instinct was like, I got to get off this bridge. I’m
getting out of here,” Orsino said.
Miguel Coka, 51, who works near the Boca Raton airport, said he is used
to seeing planes flying low as they prepare to land. But this time, he
and his colleagues noticed something was off.
“There was a rumble and everyone in the building felt it,” he said when
the plane crashed. “We are all shocked.”
He captured the smoke and flames from the crash from his office balcony
on video.
Boca Raton Mayor Scott Singer said the investigation was just beginning.
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Emergency personnel respond to the area where a small plane crashed
on the railroad tracks beneath the overpass near Interstate 95 in
Boca Raton, Fla., on Friday, April 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Marta
Lavandier)
“We are deeply saddened to confirm that a plane crash occurred
earlier today within our community. At this time, details are still
emerging, and we are working closely with emergency responders and
authorities," Singer said in a statement. “Our thoughts are with all
those affected by this tragic event. We ask for patience and respect
for the families involved as investigations continue.”
The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are
investigating, with the NTSB leading the probe.
NTSB officials arrived at the scene Friday afternoon and began
collecting evidence and taking photos as part of their preliminary
investigation. The plane wreckage will be taken to a salvage
facility in Jacksonville for further investigation. The NTSB will
release a preliminary report in 30 days, followed by a final report
with the likely cause of the crash in 12 to 24 months.
The small plane crashed in South Florida a day after a New York City
sightseeing helicopter broke apart in midair and crashed upside-down
into the Hudson River, killing the pilot and a family of five
Spanish tourists.
Federal officials have tried to reassure travelers that flying is
the safest mode of transportation, and statistics support that. But
aircraft collisions and near-misses have been drawing more scrutiny.
A midair collision killed 67 people near Washington in January. An
airliner clipped another in February while taxiing at the Seattle
airport. In March, an American Airlines plane caught fire after
landing in Denver, sending 12 people to the hospital.
___
Associated Press producer Beatrice Dupuy contributed to this report
from New York.
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