A tragic incident unfolded on a bustling Florida street on Friday morning when a small aircraft plummeted to the ground, claiming the lives of three people and injuring another. The crash occurred near Butts Road on North Military Trail in Boca Raton around 10:20 a.m., according to local law enforcement.
The aircraft involved was a six-seater Cessna 310R, which had just departed from the nearby Boca Raton airport. The crash site was located in the 1900 block of Military Trail, where the plane came down on the railroad tracks.
Eyewitnesses at the scene managed to capture video footage of the aftermath, which showed the flaming wreckage scattered across the road. Emergency services were promptly on the scene, responding to the fiery crash site.
Sources indicate that the pilot had reported problems with the plane’s rudder shortly before the tragic incident. Witnesses also noted that the plane was flying at an unusually low altitude before it crashed and erupted into flames. “Three individuals were on board, and sadly, all three have been confirmed dead,” stated Michael LaSalle, the assistant chief of Boca Raton Fire Rescue, in a press briefing following the incident.
The identities of the victims have not yet been released by investigators. A fourth individual, who was driving on North Military Trail at the time of the crash, suffered non-life-threatening injuries after driving through the resulting fireball.
Data from FlightAware shows that the small plane had been circling the area for approximately 20 minutes before it crashed, scattering debris along the road and train tracks. The aircraft was on a 430-mile journey to Tallahassee.
Eyewitnesses also captured video footage of a car that had collided with a tree, its exterior charred and damaged. The cause of the crash has not been confirmed by officials.