Crash of a small plane in the Everglades kills two men, Broward fire rescue says

Omar Rodríguez Ortiz, David Goodhue
·2 min read
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Two men were found dead Wednesday morning in a small plane that crashed off Interstate 75 in the Everglades, according to the Broward Sheriff’s Office and federal aviation officials.

Around 10:30 a.m., first responders found a crashed single-engine Cessna 172 near the city of Weston, the National Transportation Safety Board said in a statement.

“Two people were on board,” the NTSB said.

According to Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue Battalion Chief Michael Kane, firefighters found the bodies of two men at the crash site near where I-75 turns into Alligator Alley, west of U.S. 27.

The plane, which was in several pieces, was located around three miles north of I-75, Kane said. There was also a small brush fire near the wreckage, the sheriff’s office said in a statement.

Although the report of the crash didn’t come through to Broward Regional Communications until Wednesday morning, the plane left North Perry Airport, 101 SW 77th Way, in Pembroke Pines, the previous evening, the sheriff’s office said.

Based on the third-party flight tracking website FlightAware, Kane said it appears the plane took off around 6:30 p.m. Tuesday and headed west. Shortly after turning north, it went off radar at 6:43 p.m., he said.

The men appeared to have been dead for “quite a while,” Kane told the Herald.

BSO firefighters and marine units launched airboats immediately after learning about the crash, reaching the site at 11:18 a.m. Wednesday, he said.

Arlene Satchell, public information officer with the Broward County Aviation Department, also confirmed that “preliminary information indicates” the plane departed from North Perry Airport around 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.

CBS News Miami footage showed the mangled aircraft in a flooded wetland. The Herald observed first responders returning from the crash site to a staging area on an airboat.

NTSB took over the investigation around noon, Kane said.

According to the tail number provided by fire rescue, the plane’s owner is Florida General Aviation Corp. in Pembroke Pines. The person listed as the company’s president declined to comment Wednesday afternoon.

This article will be updated when more information is available.