A small plane crashed into the Tri-Rail tracks near I-95 in Boca Raton on Friday, killing three people and injuring another, according to authorities.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration, a Cessna 310 carrying three people left Boca Raton Airport around 10:20 a.m. and was en route to Tallahassee International Airport when it crashed.
Michael LaSalle, assistant chief of the Boca Raton Fire Department, confirmed that all three people on board were killed in the crash. Meanwhile, another person was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries after possibly driving into the fireball from the crash.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are investigating the crash.
Boca Raton Mayor Scott Singer issued a statement following the crash in which he expressed deep sorrow over the loss of life, offered condolences to the victims’ families, and praised first responders and partnering agencies for their prompt response.
“Our hearts are heavy today because of this tragic loss of life. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and all those affected. As always, we appreciate the quick response of our Boca Raton Fire Rescue Department and Boca Raton Police Department,” Singer said.
“We appreciate their continued efforts and our collaboration with other public safety agencies that have also responded. Our community is compassionate, strong, and resilient, and we will be there to assist everyone affected.”
Commuter nightmare in Boca Raton near I-95
According to Boca Raton Police, North Military Trail is closed between Northwest 19th Street and Butts Road as a result of the crash.
“We expect the road closures to continue for the foreseeable future,” Boca Raton Police stated on social media.
The I-95 overpass at Glades Road is temporarily closed in both east and westbound directions, and police advise everyone to avoid the area.
A Tri-Rail public information officer told CBS News Miami that train traffic and service in the area are currently suspended, and that a bus bridge between the Deerfield Beach and Boca Raton stations is being built for rail commuters.
A spokesperson for Amtrak, which uses the same corridors as Tri-Rail, stated that services have been impacted due to local municipal holds in the area.
As of Friday afternoon, Train 41, which left Chicago on Wednesday, had canceled its trip between Tampa and Miami. Train 40, which was set to depart from Miami on Friday, has also been canceled. Additionally, Train 97, which left New York City’s Penn Station on Thursday, has canceled its trip between Orlando and Miami.
“We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may cause,” the rail service stated.
Boca Raton plane crash left debris everywhere
Chopper 4 flew over the scene, where debris from the plane crash could be seen covering the Tri-Rail tracks, with several emergency vehicles surrounding the crash site and what appeared to be fire retardant splattered on the ground.
A charred car wedged up against a nearby tree was also discovered near the crash site. It is unclear at this time whether this was the vehicle mentioned by LaSalle during his media briefing early Friday afternoon.
Plane may have attempted to return before crashing
Willard Shepard, an aviation expert and former combat pilot in the United States Air Force, told CBS News Miami that a witness saw the plane take off from a nearby airport and appear to be having “some trouble” before crashing.
“Obviously, something very catastrophic happened and the plane went down out there [Friday],” he informed me.
Flightradar24, an online flight tracker, showed that they never left the airport area and instead flew in circles. Shepard stated that the flight path may provide some clues as to what happened.
“When he’s making those left turns, it indicates that there was potentially some issue, flight control issue that he was trying to deal with, and ultimately, whatever that flight control issue was, it caused the aircraft to go down and him to lose control of the aircraft to no longer keep it airborne,” according to him.
Witnesses left shaken following fiery Boca plane crash
Cell phone video captured the seconds following the Cessna 310 crash on the Tri-Rail tracks.
When student pilot Jared Scarpato heard the radio call, he began watching the plane. “I say out loud, ‘you know, he’s way too low,’ and it’s incredibly unfortunate. And so he was turning his last leg, which is right near the airport,” he said.
The twin-engine plane crashed, exploding and destroying a car in the process.
“He was coming in, trying to land again, and he was just too low,” she said. “Couldn’t make it — absolutely devastating.”
Another witness, Dillon Smith, told CBS News Miami’s crew on the scene that he was speaking with a client at his corporate office when he noticed the plane almost skim the roof of a nearby building before disappearing.
“I just saw it come down and basically just drop below the tree line,” he told me.
Smith went on to say that there was a “loud boom” immediately after the plane dropped: “The windows shook, and then you saw basically a mushroom cloud of smoke and fire.”
Smith added that his concern was immediate when he saw the plane fly by because he believed it was flying “too low” and would crash into his office building.
“You could tell that something was either up or it just wasn’t right,” he told me.
Other witnesses told the CBS News Miami crew that the crash felt like an earthquake because their buildings shook.