Jet recorded 3 warnings before crashing on I-75 in Florida, NTSB says
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — The National Transportation Safety Board on Tuesday released its preliminary report for a small jet that crashed on Interstate 75 earlier this month.
The private jet was traveling from Ohio State University Airport to Naples Municipal Airport on Feb. 9.
The plane’s flight data recorder showed that it recorded three Master Warnings ahead of the crash, according to the NTSB report. The first warning was L ENGINE OIL PRESSURE at 3:09 p.m. One second later, another warning for R ENGINE OIL PRESSURE was displayed, and a few seconds after that, an ENGINE warning was recorded.
The air traffic controllers cleared the plane to land after the pilot declared an emergency about 20 seconds after the third warning, according to the report.
“We are cleared to land, but we are not going to make the runway,” the pilot said. “We have lost both engines.”
The NTSB also looked at dashcam video that showed the final seconds of the flight. In the video, the plane was seen making a shallow left turn and leveling its wings while touching down in the southbound lanes of I-75, according to the report.
The left landing gear touched down in the center lane, and the right landing gear in the right lane, according to the report. The plane traveled into the grass shoulder and then hit a concrete sound barrier, causing the plane to catch fire.
The cabin attendant noticed the exits were blocked by the fire and was able to get herself and the two passengers through a baggage compartment in the back of the plane, according to the report. All three of them had minor injuries. The two pilots were killed in the crash.
The captain had more than 10,000 total hours of flying, of which 2,800 were on the type of plane involved in the crash, according to the NTSB. The first officer had more than 24,000 hours of flight experience, with 138 on the type of plane involved in the crash.
The Collier County Sheriff’s Office identified those killed as Edward Daniel Murphy, 50, of Oakland Park, and Frederick Hofmann, 65, of Pompano Beach.
The plane, a Bombardier CL-600, came to a rest facing north about 1,000 feet from where it initially touched down on the highway, according to the NTSB. Markings on the ground were consistent with the left landing gear.
“The left wing was nearly entirely consumed by post-impact fire,” the report states. The right wing had evidence that it impacted a highway sign.
Both engines showed thermal damage from the fire. The left engine blades appeared intact, while the right engine blades had minimal damage, according to the NTSB.
The plane’s most-recent airworthiness inspection was on Jan. 5, according to the report.
The NTSB continues to investigate the crash, and will publish a final report once the investigation concludes, which could take one to two years.
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