A small turboprop aircraft involved in hurricane relief efforts to Jamaica crashed on Monday morning into a pond in a gated residential area in Coral Springs, a suburb of Fort Lauderdale, resulting in the deaths of two individuals shortly after takeoff. The Coral Springs Police Department confirmed the fatalities in a statement on Monday afternoon but did not disclose further information about the plane’s occupants, nor did they respond to requests for additional details.
Deputy Chief Mike Moser of the Coral Springs-Parkland Fire Department stated that emergency teams swiftly responded to the crash report, initially conducting a rescue operation before transitioning to a recovery operation as no victims were found during the initial search. Fortunately, no residential properties were harmed, although debris was spotted near the retention pond where the plane went down. Aerial footage displayed a damaged fence in the backyard of a home bordering the pond.
Kenneth DeTrolio reported to the South Florida Sun Sentinel that the plane crashed through his backyard, destroying his fence, toppling palm trees, and eventually landing in the water. The impact scattered debris across his yard, contaminating his pool and back porch with spilled fuel, resulting in a lingering fuel odor inside his residence.
The Beechcraft King Air plane, which crashed shortly after departing from the Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport, took off at around 10:14 a.m. local time, with first responders on the scene five minutes later. According to Federal Aviation Administration records, the aircraft was built in 1976 and can accommodate between seven and 12 passengers.
The aircraft was owned by International Air Services, a company specializing in trust agreements for non-U.S. citizens to register their planes with the FAA. Flight data from FlightAware revealed that the plane had recently made multiple trips to and from Jamaica before the crash. Hurricane Melissa, a Category 5 storm that struck Jamaica in late October, prompted relief efforts in the region.
Authorities are set to lead the recovery operations, while federal aviation officials will investigate the crash’s cause.