Three people were killed and another injured Friday morning when a small aircraft crashed along a busy Florida street.
The six-seater plane crashed on North Military Trail near Butts Road in Boca Raton around 10:20 a.m., according to the city’s police department.
Three people were on board the Cessna 310R, which had taken off minutes earlier from nearby Boca Raton airport, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
A plane crash on Friday morning in Boca Raton happened in the 1900 block of Military Trail. CBS 12 News
Video captured by a witness showed flaming debris scattered across the roadway.
Emergency personnel respond to where a small plane crashed on railroad tracks in Boca Raton. AP
The plane’s pilot reported rudder issues shortly before the crash, sources told NBC News.
The crash site. CBS 12 NewsWitnesses reported seeing and hearing the plane flying abnormally low before it crashed and erupted into a large fire.
“Three souls were on board, and we can confirm they were all fatalities,” Michael LaSalle, the Boca Raton Fire Rescue assistant chief, told reporters shortly after the crash.
Investigators did not reveal the identities of the victims.
A fourth person who was driving along North Military Trail at the time of the tragedy sustained non-life-threatening injuries after driving through the fireball.
Map of the crash. Flightradar
A damaged car near the site of the crash. AP
The crash sprinkled debris along the road and train tracks. APAccording to data from FlightAware, the small plane circled the area for about 20 minutes before it smashed into the ground, sprinkling debris along the road and train tracks.
The aircraft was due to make a 430-mile journey to Tallahassee.
Video captured by a witness showed flaming chunks of the aircraft scattered across the roadway and a scorched car that had collided with a tree.
Officials could not confirm what led to the crash.
