I-75 Naples plane crash preliminary report details how survivors escaped fiery highway collision

A preliminary crash report on a plane that crashed along I-17 in Naples and left two dead has been released.

According to the FAA, the plane, a Bombardier INC CL-600-2B16, was due to land at Naples Airport at about 3:15 p.m. after departing from Ohio State University Airport earlier that day. The plane was filled with 350 gallons of fuel before departing.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said the plane lost both engines while preparing to land at Naples Municipal Airport.

Due to the loss of both engines, the plane crashed nearly seven miles away from the Naples Airport on I-75, leaving both pilots dead, 2 passengers injured, and one person on the ground injured.

Three master warnings regarding engine oil pressures were recorded within seconds of one another. About twenty seconds later, the crew announced they lost both engines.

Before landing, the crew said to the tower controller, “We are cleared to land, but we are not going to make the runway….ah….we have lost both engines.”

Video from the crash scene shows the plane touching down first in the center lane of I-75 before crashing into the right lane. The plane continued into a grass median before colliding with a concrete sound barrier.

The NTSB said the plane was covered by dust, fire, and smoke immediately following that impact.

The report also details how the passengers onboard escaped the fiery crash.

According to a cabin attendant, she saw the emergency exits were blocked by fire and had the passengers and herself exit through the baggage compartment door in the trail section of the plane.

The pilots who were killed in the crash are identified as Edward Daniel Murphy, 50, of Oakland Park, and Ian Frederick Hofmann, 65, of Pompano Beach.

The highway was shut down for hours as a result of the crash.