3 die when plane crashes, burns on railroad tracks near I-95 in Boca Raton, Florida

BOCA RATON, Fla. — Three people are dead after a small plane crashed and burned when trying to return to the Boca Raton Airport on Friday morning after reporting mechanical issues, officials say.

The plane crashed short of the airport a little after 10 a.m., hitting a car and pushing it into a tree and onto the railroad tracks near Military Trail and Glades Road. The man in the car had non-life-threatening injuries, said Michael LaSalle, Assistant Fire Chief for Boca Raton Fire Rescue.

The three victims have not yet been identified. Officials did not have their ages or genders Friday afternoon.

An NTSB investigator is on the way and the state Fire Marshal is on scene.

After crashing, the plane erupted into flames, sending up large plumes of smoke visible from nearby neighborhoods, schools and Interstate 95. Fire rescue crews put the fires out, Boca Raton Fire Rescue Service Lt. Karl Richards said.

Jared Scarpato, 18, a freshman at Lynn University’s flight school, was studying for his end of course exam when the university got a call over its “Castle Ops” radio about an emergency. Another student pilot who was taking off had reported that the pilot of the plane had an issue with his rudder and was circling the airport but couldn’t land.

Scarpato, his instructor and other students went outside, where they saw the plane turning to try to return to the airport to land.

“I said to my instructor and everybody outside, he is too low,” Scarpato said.

Planes are supposed to be about 1,000 feet in the air in the place where the pilot was, and the pilot was only about 200 feet up, recalled Justin Torres, 19, another student at Lynn who was walking to class at the school north of the crash scene when he saw the plane circling.

As the plane was about to try to land on the runway, Scarpato said, they lost sight of the pilot. Then they saw “a big explosion and a plume of smoke.” Five minutes later, they heard all of the sirens.

Scarpato said witnessing the crash didn’t make him rethink his career, maintaining that planes are safer than cars.

“It’s devastating,” he said. “I pray for the family. I know they (the people aboard the plane) were doing the best they can.”

The plane, a Cessna 310, was headed to Tallahassee International Airport, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

Military Trail is closed between Northwest 19th Street and Butts Road. The Interstate 95 overpass at Glades Road eastbound and westbound reopened by about 2 p.m., according to the Boca Raton Police Department. According to Tri-Rail, a bus bridge has been established between the Deerfield Beach and Boca Raton stations, with rail service continuing south of Deerfield Beach and north of Boca Raton.

“However, riders may want to seek alternative transportation due to expected delays,” Tri-Rail wrote in a statement on X.

Dylan Smith, 32, said he was on the phone with a client on the fourth floor of the nearby Steel Commander Corp building when he saw the plane and noticed how low it was flying. It almost appeared like it was going to hit another corporate building nearby, he said.

Smith went to the window to watch as the plane performed a U-turn before dropping below the tree line. Then the glass of the windows shook and a mushroom cloud of smoke and flames billowed out from the trees. He knew the plane had crashed.

“I was in disbelief,” he said. “I don’t think people want to see that everyday or ever expect to see that in their lifetime.”

A Boca Raton High School student wrote on X that they watched as the plane flew over the school “super low” before it crashed. The school is on the east side of the interstate.

“Could have been much worse with the mall, high school (and) colleges around here. Prayers for everyone so tragic,” the student wrote.

Richards said the scene is still active, and the city’s fire rescue crews are working with the police department to determine details. The National Transportation Safety Board and FAA also will investigate, with the NTSB leading the investigation and providing updates, according to the FAA.

“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,” 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.”

This crash comes one day after a sightseeing helicopter plunged into the Hudson River in New York, killing six people.

The Boca Raton Airport has a light history of fatal accidents since it was taken private after World War II, according to a list compiled by a service of the Flight Safety Foundation:

— June 2000: A Learjet 55 collided after takeoff at 2,400 feet southwest of the airport with an Extra – EA3005, which had departed the Pompano Air Park. Four people aboard the planes were killed. Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board blamed the pilots for failing to maintain a “visual lookout” for other planes.

— August 1956: A Fairchild C-82A returning from the Miami area on an agricultural spraying mission crashed on approach to the airport after an engine failure, killing all five aboard.

— In February of this year, an Embraer Praetor 600 jet suffered a bird strike during a charter flight near the airport that damaged the plane’s nose. There were no reported injuries.

According to its website, the Boca Raton Airport serves recreational and corporate aircraft and is also a facility for flight training. It averages more than 83,000 operations annually.

Business traffic has increased over the past several years as more companies have relocated to the area from other parts of the country, local officials have said.

“I am incredibly grateful to the first responders, law enforcement officers and emergency personnel who arrived with urgency and bravery at the scene. Their swift action helped prevent further tragedy in an unthinkable situation,” Sen. Lori Berman, D-Boca Raton, said in a statement. “The loss of life in such a sudden and violent manner is heartbreaking, and my thoughts are with the families and loved ones of those affected.”

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(Florida Sun Sentinel staff writer David Lyons contributed to this report.)

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