A small private plane crashed on a Southwest Florida Interstate after losing its engines. The pilot announced the problem before making an emergency landing.
The jet, with five people aboard, was bound for the airport in Naples before the engine failure on Friday afternoon.
Two people were killed, according to the Collier County Sheriff’s Office, but they were not immediately identified.
The plane had taken off from an airport at Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio, at about 1 p.m.
According to Naples Airport Authority spokesperson Robin King, it was scheduled to land in Naples around the time of the crash.
“Got that. Emergency. Clear to land. Runway. Two. Three,” the air traffic controller responded to the pilot, 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,” the pilot replied.
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.
King said they sent fire trucks with special foam to the scene, and three of the five people on board were rescued alive.
