Authorities stated that a private jet lost its engines and crashed onto a highway in Florida on Friday, killing two people.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration, the Bombardier Challenger 600, carrying five people crashed on Interstate 75 near the small city of Naples around 3:15 pm (2015 GMT).
Robin King, an airport spokesperson said, “The pilot radioed air traffic control two minutes before the plane was scheduled to land at Naples Municipal Airport”, adding that “he had lost both engines and requested an emergency landing”.
“The air traffic controller immediately cleared the aircraft to land when the pilot declared that he would not make it to the runway … (and) attempted a landing on I-75”, the airport spokesperson continued.
King claimed three people survived the crash. The Collier County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that both victims died on impact.
It was unclear whether the plane hit any cars on the highway.
Images carried by local media showed the smoldering wreckage of the plane on the side of the highway, which emitted black columns of smoke.
King stated that it had departed from Ohio State University Airport.
The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board will look into the crash.
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