The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transporation Safety Board will investigate a small plane that crashed along a busy street and erupted into a fireball just outside the Boca Raton, Florida, airport Friday morning.
Three people who were onboard the twin-engine Cessna 310 when it crashed were killed, according to Michael LaSalle, assistant fire chief with Boca Raton Fire Rescue.
A man who was driving a car in the area was also injured after hitting a tree due to debris and fire from the crash. He suffered non-life threatening injuries and was taken to a local hospital, LaSalle said.
“We are deeply saddened to confirm that a plane crash occurred earlier today within our community,” Boca Raton Mayor Scott Singer said in a statement. “Our thoughts are with all those affected by this tragic event. We ask for patience and respect for the families involved as investigations continue.”
The plane took off from Boca Raton about 10 a.m. and was headed to Tallahassee, officials said. About 10:12 a.m. Boca Raton fire and police dispatch received a call for a plane in trouble and the aircraft crashed at 10:20 a.m., according to LaSalle and the FAA. The aircraft apparently had “some mechanical issues,” the assistant fire chief said.
Data from FlightRadar24 shows the aircraft made repeated loops around the airport before the crash.
“I heard it like zooming by a couple of times and then whew – a plane crashed,” one witness said on video posted to social media.
“The whole building shook,” another man noted.
CNN’s David Goodman contributed to this report.
Correction: An earlier version of this story misstated the time when the plane departed the Boca Raton airport. It took off at 10 a.m.
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