A small plane carrying three people crashed Friday morning in South Florida near a major interstate highway and railroad tracks, officials said.
The Boca Raton Police said in a social media post that several roads near the Boca Raton Airport were closed near Interstate 95 after the plane went down shortly after 10 a.m. Local media reported the plane was on fire and firefighters were responding.
The Federal Aviation Administration identified the plane as a Cessna 310 with three people on board, though it wasn't immediately known if anyone had died. It went down about 10:20 a.m. after departing from Boca Raton Airport bound for Tallahassee, the FAA said in an email. The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating, with the NTSB leading the probe.
Fire officials told the South Florida Sun Sentinel that the aircraft appeared to have pushed a car onto the railroad tracks, leading to their closure. The fate of the car's occupants also was unknown.
Miguel Coka, 51, who works near the Boca Raton airport, said he is used to seeing planes flying low as they prepare to land. But this time, he and his colleagues noticed something was off.
“There was a rumble and everyone in the building felt it,” he said when the plane crashed. “We are all shocked.”
He captured the smoke and flames from the crash from his office balcony on video.
Boca Raton Mayor Scott Singer said the investigation was just beginning.
“We are deeply saddened to confirm that a plane crash occurred earlier today within our community. At this time, details are still emerging, and we are working closely with emergency responders and authorities," 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.”
A major road was closed as crash investigation officers were redirecting traffic. Inside the police taped-off areas were Boca Raton police vehicles, airport operations vehicles and police mobile command units while helicopters circled the area.
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Associated Press producer Beatrice Dupuy contributed to this report from New York.
