Five people were on the plane when it crashed on Interstate 75 south near Naples, sending flames and thick clouds of black smoke skyward. Three made it out safely.
ABC 6 sent the X user a direct message asking what happened and here was his reply:
“We were driving northbound on I75 in Naples, don’t know the exact location wasn’t paying close attention to that, just around 3pm or shortly after. We saw a big black plume of smoke as we approached and then realized it was a plane of some sort. Didn’t see the actual crash only the immediate aftermath.
There wasn’t any emergency vehicles there yet when we drove past as it had just happened. A helicopter arrived on scene pretty quickly and was hovering above the crash. Emergency vehicles were beginning to arrive as we passed by.
One other person and I were in the car. We were just very shocked mostly.”
Aprivate jet, the Bombardier Challenger 600 took off from Ohio State University’s airport at about 12:30 p.m. The FAA and NTSB issued a joint statement following the crash with initial details about their investigation:
“It’s prelim and subject to change. A Bombardier Challenger 600 jet crashed on I-75 near Naples, Florida, around 3:15 p.m. local time.”
Robin King, a spokeswoman for the Naples Airport Authority, told ABC 6 by telephone that shortly before landing, the pilot “indicated they lost both engines. We do not know what that means, if it stopped working or they physically lost them.”
King also said they were only “two or three miles directly from the runway. They were approaching. That’s why they landed on the highway. The highway is in that flight path.”
The aircraft’s maker offered its support with those impacted by the tragedy, writing in a statement:
“Bombardier is deeply saddened by this tragic event and we extend our sincerest sympathies to all those affected by this accident.”
A spokesperson for OSU said the aircraft is not affiliated with the university and also did not have any further information on it.
The Associated Press noted that federal authorities said a preliminary report about the cause of the crash can be expected in 30 days.
