NAPLES, Fla. — A stretch of Interstate 75 in Southwest Florida reopened Sunday night more than 48 hours after a small private jet crashed onto the roadway, killing two.
According to the Collier County Sheriff's Office, 50-year-old Edward Daniel Murphy of Oakland Park, Florida, was the pilot of the Bombardier Challenger 600 jet.
He and his co-pilot, 65-year-old Ian Frederick Hofmann of Pompano Beach, Florida, perished when they attempted to make an emergency landing on I-75 near Naples, Florida Friday afternoon.
A crewmember, 23-year-old Sydney Ann Bosmans of Jupiter, Florida, and two passengers, 35-year-old Aaron Baker and 23-year-old Audra Green — both from Columbus, Ohio, — survived the crash, the sheriff's office said. They were taken to a local hospital for treatment of their injuries.
Dashcam video provided to 10 Tampa Bay captured the moment the plane plummeted to the ground and erupted into flames.
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. One National Transportation Safety Board investigator arrived at the crash site Friday afternoon, with several more expected to arrive on Saturday.
The plane had taken off from an airport at Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio, at 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 Murphy, 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," Murphy 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.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
