Two people were killed on Friday when a small private jet, which had lost both engines, crashed into a car on an interstate in Florida. Authorities confirmed that the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles and Collier County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that two people died in the collision. Naples-area resident Jinny Johnson came upon the crash minutes after it happened, as she was on the road around 3:20 p.m.
The flight, identified as a private jet, a Bombardier Challenger 600 operated by Hop-A-Jet Worldwide Charter based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, had five people on board and was traveling from Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio, to the Naples, Florida airport. The National Transportation Safety Board and The Federal Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles were investigating the crash. The NTSB will review the actions of the pilot, aircraft and environment, including aircraft maintenance records, weather, the pilot’s credentials, and witness statements.
This is the second small plane crash in Florida this month. Last Thursday, a single-engine Beechcraft Bonanza V35 crashed into a mobile home park in Clearwater, Florida, near Tampa, causing four mobile homes to catch on fire when the pilot reported an engine failure, resulting in the pilot and two people on the ground dead. According to the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, there were 1,124 general aviation accidents in 2021, with 202 of them being fatal.