Heartstopping moment three survivors run from exploding private jet that crashed on Florida freeway, as two killed are identified as pilot, 50, and his co-pilot
By Bethan Sexton For Dailymail.Com[1]
Published: 01:06, 11 February 2024 | Updated: 01:44, 11 February 2024
Dramatic footage shows the moment three survivors run from a private jet explosion in Florida[2] which killed the aircraft's two pilots.
Crew member Sydney[3] Ann Bosmans, 23, along with passengers Aaron Baker, 35, and Audra Green, 23, were filmed fleeing the fiery inferno after it crashed on Friday.
Pilot Edward Daniel Murphy, 50, and second in command Ian Frederick Hofmann, 65, were killed when the jet's engines failed and it crashed on the I-75 outside Naples.
Video captured by passing motorist Kyle Cavaliere showed huge plumes of smoke rising from the wreckage moments after the plane went down.
'It landed on a car too,' Cavaliere exclaims as he approaches. As he gets closer, huge flames can be seen as well as debris strewn across the road.
Survivors of a private jet crash in Florida were filmed running for their lives after it exploded on the i-75
Crew member Sydney Ann Bosmans, 23, along with passengers Aaron Baker, 35, and Audra Green, 23, narrowly escaped from the wreckage
Their plane went down on Friday after a dual engine failure and crashed along the busy interstate
Crew member Sydney Ann Bosmans narrowly escaped with her life. She is listed as working as a flight attendant for Hop-a-Jet, the company which owns the plane
The video then cuts to a different angle to reveal three people sprinting away from the jet.
'Is there anyone else inside there?' Cavaliere asks as he runs over to help.
'Yes, yes our pilots!' one of the survivors shouts back. Caveliere then asks if they are alive and the woman responds she does not know.
The frantic survivors then start asking to use his phone as the clip ends.
The pilots reported dual engine failure right before the crash in a confronting mayday call to air traffic control.
The plane was just one minute away from making an emergency landing at Naples Airport - but another moment of audio reveals how its pilot already knew they would not make it.
The flight was traveling to Naples Airport from Ohio[4] State University Airport, according to FlightAware data, although the college says the plane merely used its facilities and did not have a connection to the university itself.
The plane belonged to Hop-a-Jet, a Florida-based private chartering company, and was not related to the university.
The Collier County Sheriff's Office has named Pilot Edward Daniel Murphy, 50, and second in command Ian Frederick Hofmann, 65, (pictured) as victims of the crash
The private plane crashed into cars on a major highway, causing a massive explosion and killing two of the five people on board
The company said it 'received confirmed reports of an accident involving one of our leased aircraft near Naples' and that it would send a team to the crash site.
'Our immediate concern is for the well-being of our passengers, crew members, and their families,' it said.
Bosmans is listed as a graduate of the Beyond and Above Corporate Flight Attendant Training school and her Linkedin states she works for Hop-a-Jet.
The Federal Aviation Authority closed all southbound lanes for 24 hours while it investigated the crash.
One FAA investigator was already on the scene with more to arrive over the weekend.
A preliminary report was due in 30 days.
Police and emergency responders flooded the scene and state troopers only opened the northbound land four hours after the accident.
References
- ^ Bethan Sexton For Dailymail.Com (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ private jet explosion in Florida (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ Sydney (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ Ohio (www.dailymail.co.uk)