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A Bombardier Challenger 604 crashed on a Florida interstate on Feb. 9, hitting two cars and killing the pilot and copilot. The flight crew is being praised for their heroic actions and an investigation is underway into why both engines failed.
In the week since the deadly crash, the aviation community has praised the heroic actions of the Challenger's flight crew. The plane crashed with five people on board, hitting two cars on a busy interstate. The pilot reported dual-engine failure and was cleared to land at APF but moments before crashing he calmly told the controller the plane would not make it to the runway.RELATED STORY:Challenger 604 crashes on Florida highway
"Yeah, we're cleared to land but we're not gonna make the runway," the pilot said to the controller. "We've lost both engines."
This was the final communication from the Challenger before the crash. The plane could be seen in dashcam footage flying down at an angle and then hitting a vehicle, with the wing of the plane dragging the car before it slammed into a wall, erupting in bright orange flames and plumes of black smoke. Footage after the crash showed the plane resting at an angle with part of the right wing missing, possibly from the impact with the barrier wall.
The pilot, 50-year-old Edward Daniel Murphy, and copilot, 65-year-old Ian Frederick Hofmann, were killed in the crash. Three people on board the plane survived the crash, 27-year-old crew member Sydney Ann Bosmans and passengers 35-year-old Aaron Baker and 23-year-old Audra Green were treated for injuries. Naples Daily News reports that the plane hit a 2015 Chevrolet Silverado and 2023 Nissan Armada SUV. The 48-year-old Silverado driver was taken to a local hospital with minor injuries. The 66-year-old Nissan driver and her two passengers, an 85-year-old woman and a 31-year-old woman escaped without injury.See the GoFundMe set up for copilot Ian Frederick Hoffman by his family
Fox News Florida reported a nearby driver, former paramedic Sheri Rapisarda, jumped into action to help save three people from the wreckage.
"I just knew that the plane had the ability to explode, and I just wanted to get them in my car and get them away from the area as fast as possible," Rapisarda said to Fox. "I just relied on my training and my instinct to kick in at that moment, and it did. It just did. I just acted. I don't really recall thinking. I just acted."
The plane was operated by Fort Lauderdale-based company Hop-A-Jet Worldwide Charter. Hop-A-Jet has 42 years in the industry and maintains a fleet of Learjets and long-range Challenger 604 and 605 aircraft. Both the pilot and copilot worked for Hop-A-Jet and the company has a platinum Argus rating. Hop-A-Jet aircraft have been involved in three other notable accidents, one in 1999 and two in 2004, one involving three fatalities. Most recently, a Hop-A-Jet Learjet 60 took off without clearance in February 2023 at the Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) forcing an Embraer ERJ 190 to initiate a go-around to avoid a collision.
An investigation is underway and the cause for the dual-engine failure is unknown but the aviation community is talking about possible fuel starvation or a bird strike. One pilot told GlobalAir.com that some members of the community have speculated that fuel starvation is a possibility and could be related to the design of the Challenger jet fuel system design. However, this pilot also noted that she was not inclined enough on the Challenger to agree or disagree. She also noted that the aircraft was based in Florida and would have experience in the airspace and weather conditions.
"They saved the lives of more than just the three passengers on board," she said of the pilots, noting that they could have killed people on the ground had they approached I-75 directly instead of at an angle. "Dual engine failure at roughly 1500 feet gives you zero time to react fast enough when a plane that heavy is sinking like a rock."
Another pilot told GlobalAir.com how difficult the plane would have been to control after colliding with the vehicles, noting the dashcam footage showed the Challenger jerk after it appeared to hit a vehicle, ultimately sending the jet toward the barrier wall adjacent to the freeway. That pilot and another individual with knowledge of aviation maintenance said the angle of the plane's landing attempts and abrupt rocking right after could show that the landing gear on the plane snapped.
A dual-engine failure is a rare event. This can happen when a bird strike damages the engines, like during the Miracle on the Hudson landing, or when a crew mistakenly turns off the wrong engine after a single engine fails. The NTSB will be investigating and said a preliminary report will be released within 30 days. Investigators will look into the maintenance history of the aircraft, the pilot's history, the operator Hop-A-Jet's history, environmental factors, the aircraft wreckage and CVR audio if a device is installed and audio is available. There is currently no cause for the crash and nothing is certain about what may have contributed.
The NTSB will release its preliminary report in about 30 days and a final report could take one to two years and may include a probable cause if one can be determined. The pilots are being praised for their quick thinking and the impressive skill it took to save the three others on board and prevent any other death or injury to the drivers on the ground.