Small aircraft crashes near Military Trail in Boca Raton shortly after takeoff, killing all three people on board. One person on the ground injured. Authorities believe mechanical failure may be to blame.
A tragic aviation incident occurred in Boca Raton, Florida, on Friday morning, as a small aircraft went down shortly after takeoff, resulting in the deaths of all three individuals on board, ABC News reported.
Officials from both the Boca Raton Fire Rescue and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed the fatalities.
Assistant Fire Chief Michael LaSalle said during a press briefing that the aircraft appeared to suffer from a mechanical malfunction before it crashed near Military Trail.
“Aircraft had apparently some mechanical issues and went down here on Military Trail,” LaSalle stated. “Also, there was a car on the ground.”
A vehicle traveling nearby was impacted during the incident, causing non-life-threatening injuries to the driver, who reportedly collided with a tree due to the crash debris and fire. “He hit a tree because of all the debris and the fire,” LaSalle added.
The aircraft, a Cessna 310R, had departed from Boca Raton Airport and was en route to Tallahassee International Airport, according to information released by the FAA.
The flight lasted less than 20 minutes before the plane went down, as tracked by Flightradar24.
Footage from the scene shows charred wreckage lying on railroad tracks adjacent to a road, with emergency services extinguishing the flames that broke out following the crash.
The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are continuing to investigate the cause of the accident.
Friday’s crash comes a day after six people were killed when a helicopter plunged into the Hudson River near Manhattan.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams later confirmed that all six people aboard the helicopter had died. He also confirmed that the victims were a family of five visiting from Spain, two adults and three children, plus the pilot.
Law enforcement sources told ABC News that Siemens executive Agustin Escobar, his wife, Merce Camprubi Montal, and their children — aged 4, 5 and 11 years old — have been identified as victims in the crash along with the pilot, aged 36.
