The chilling final moments before a doomed humanitarian aid flight crashed in Florida, killing an Evangelical Christian minister and his daughter, were revealed in a new report on the wreck.
A preliminary report published by the National Transportation Safety Board Wednesday provided an unsettling inside look at Alexander Wurm, 53, and his 22-year-old daughter Serena‘s last few breaths before their plane spiraled into a pond in Coral Springs, Florida on Nov. 10.
The plane began its takeoff without a hitch, but its radio soon went silent — when Wurm, who was in the pilot seat, stopped responding to the air traffic controller — as the aircraft “descended to about 3,100 ft,” according to the report.
“Heavy breathing and ‘grunting’ sounds” were the only sounds coming over the radio while the air traffic controller desperately tried to reach Wurm and instructed him to continue “climbing,” according to the report.
A few seconds later, the plane’s final position pinged “about 200 ft west and 350 ft above” the crash site, according to the report.
Surveillance footage near the harrowing wreckshowed the plane plummeting to the ground in a “nose-down attitude,” though the NTSB assured that it “was not trailing smoke or vapors.”
The same videos also “captured the sound of engines operating,” the report said.
The Wurms were embarking on a journey to hurricane-ravaged Jamaica for a single-day trip to deliver supplies the island nation’s residents desperately needed in the wake of Hurricane Melissa.
The flight was chartered by Wurm’s Evangelical Christian ministry, Ignite the Fire, and departed from the Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport, just 10 miles outside of Coral Springs.
The plane, a Beech King Air B100, could only carry around 1,000 pounds of cargo and wasn’t weighed before liftoff. Wurm, who piloted the aircraft, “checked the weight documented on each box” to suffice, the report said.
The plane was filled to the brim, with heaps of cargo left “unsecured throughout the cabin on passenger seats,” according to the report. A Beech King Air B100 typically seats anywhere from seven to 12 people, according to the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association.
When the plane crashed in Coral Springs, it appeared to clip the edge of the pond as the nose sank into the water. It was marked as totally “destroyed” in the report.
Coral Springs-Parkland Fire Department Deputy Chief Mike Moser, who responded to the crash, said that “there was no actual plane to be seen” when rescue crews arrived.
Officials said that they sent divers into the pond, but didn’t find any victims during the initial search. The Wurms’ deaths were confirmed by Ignite the Fire on Nov. 11.
“Alexander, known for his warmth and unwavering kindness, devoted his life to serving others — both through his actions and by sharing the gospel of Jesus across the globe,” Ignite the Fire said in a social media statement.
“Throughout his life, Alex travelled extensively, reaching various countries and continents, where he tirelessly worked to bring faith, compassion, and support to those in need.”
“Serena, following in her father’s footsteps, was a beacon of empathy and hope, inspiring all with her commitment to humanitarian work. Together, their final journey embodied selflessness and courage, reminding us of the power of service and love,” the church added.
Jamaica was devastated by Hurricane Melissa, which made landfall as a Category 5 storm in late October. The entire island nation lost power, and most of its infrastructure was quickly overwhelmed by the storm.
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