NAPLES, Fla. — A preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board revealed what pilots experienced moments before the deadly plane crash earlier this month on I-75 in Naples.
The plane, a Bombardier Challenger 600 jet, was traveling on Feb. 9 from the Ohio State University Airport to Naples Municipal Airport when it made a failed emergency landing on the interstate at about 3:17 p.m.
The crash caused the plane to erupt in flames and smoke, killing both the pilot, 50-year-old Edward Murphy, and the co-pilot, 65-year-old Ian Hofmann.
The preliminary report revealed that the plane recorded three master warnings starting at 3:09 p.m., eight minutes before the crash.
The first warning read, "L ENGINE OIL PRESSURE," and the second, "R ENGINE OIL PRESSURE," indicating issues with both the left and right engines. The third warning simply read "ENGINE."
Just 27 seconds later, according to NTSB, the crew announced, “…lost both engines... emergency... making an emergency landing."
After the tower controller at Naples Municipal Airport cleared the plane to land, the crew replied, “We are cleared to land but we are not going to make the runway… ah… we have lost both engines.” This was the last transmission received from the crew.
Investigators learned from dashcam footage that the plane made a shallow left turn before leveling its wings and touching down, aligning with the traffic on southbound I-75.
"The airplane continued through the break-down lane and into the grass shoulder area before impacting a concrete sound barrier. The airplane was obscured by dust, fire, smoke, and debris until the video ended," the report reads.
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That's when the cabin attendant successfully guided two passengers and herself through the baggage compartment door in the tail section of the airplane, NTSB investigators say. They suffered only minor injuries.
Both the pilot and co-pilot died.
According to NTSB, Murphy, the pilot, had accrued 10,525 total hours of flight experience, 2,808 of which were in the same make and model as the plane that crashed.
The report says Hofmann, the co-pilot, had accrued 24,618 total hours of flight experience, 138 of which were in the same type of airplane.
Investigators are continuing to examine the wreckage, including the engines, to determine the cause of the deadly crash. NTSB maintains that this information is preliminary and subject to change.
