A Challenger 604 lost both engines over I-75. Her training got the cabin out

On February 9, 2024, a Bombardier Challenger 604 (registration N823KD) made an emergency landing and crashed into a concrete barrier on the Southbound Interstate 75 in Naples, Florida. There were two passengers onboard, along with contract flight attendant Sydney Bosmans, Captain Edward Murphy and Second-in-command Ian Hofmann. The aircraft was operated by Hop-A-Jet out of Fort Lauderdale. Sydney had been flying for two and a half years and had previously taken safety training at FACTS, something she had chosen to do, for her job - it was not a requirement. Flight 823 had flown from Ohio State University Airport, Columbus, Ohio, and was flying to Naples Municipal Airport. On the final approach, just nine minutes prior to the accident, the flight crew made contact with the Naples Air Traffic Control Tower, and they maneuvered for a six-mile final approach to runway 23. At 15:08, the controller cleared them to land. The aircraft was at an altitude of 2,000 feet and traveling at 166 knots or 191 miles per hour. We just lost both enginesBosmans had taken her jump seat in the cockpit when she saw that there was red writing on the cockpit screens, so she was aware that there was a malfunction. She heard one of the pilots say, "We're in an emergency," and "We just lost both engines." Air Traffic Control reported that the master warnings began, and the flight crew said they had lost both engines and would be making an emergency landing as they could not reach the runway. The second-in-command suggested a water landing, but the captain decided otherwise. Bosmans asked the flight crew if she should prepare the cabin, and they told her to "Brace For Impact!" She heard the captain say, "I'm landing right here. I'm doing it." She moved from her jumpseat into the cabin and briefed the passengers on the brace position. She sat down and shouted, "Brace, Brace, Brace!" At 15:10, witnesses saw the aircraft above them before it veered to the right, collided with two vehicles, and skidded along the side of the highway before it exploded into flames. Pieces of the aircraft littered the highway. When the aircraft came to a stop, according to Bosmans' account, she went to open the main exit door, but it was jammed shut, and she saw smoke and flames at the overwing exits. One of the passengers was in the baggage compartment but did not know how to open the door. She told him to move and let her open it, and she moved some baggage away from the small door. She knew how to operate the door as she'd helped the flight crew to load baggage on previous flights. Flames were beginning to appear under the compartment door. The passengers followed her out of the aircraft, and she directed them away from the aircraft. The aircraft then exploded. The two pilots died in the accident. The captain's cause of death was cited as inhalation of superheated gases, and the second-in-command had catastrophic blunt force injuries. They were hailed as heroes as they brought down the aircraft on the grass next to the busy I-75 highway, avoiding a residential area just 100 feet away. The passengers escaped with minor injuries, and one motorist was treated at a local hospital. Sydney had minor injuries to her face and hand. The aircraft was destroyed by the fire. In October 2024, Sydney received the Above and Beyond Award for Heroic Achievement from the NBAA at that year's NBAA-BACE event. She said, "This award would have not been possible without my beloved pilots, Ed and Ian—who I know are in the room right now making sure I don't mess this whole speech up—and my passengers, who took initiative themselves and enabled us to work together that day." Eight months after the accident, Sydney said she still struggled with post-traumatic stress disorder: "There are many days I still can't believe I survived something like this. And then there are the days where I wish I hadn't survived, the days where I wish I had perished with my pilots. My entire reality blew up when that plane did. Everything I thought I knew, all the plans I had, all the things that I had built up around my identity to keep me safe, were gone just like that."Salt air, and the corrosion no one caught The NTSB report said that there was corrosion in both engines that ultimately led to the loss of engine thrust and resulted in a crash landing. The corrosion was caused by the aircraft being stored in a sea salt environment: it was previously stored in Barbados before being moved to Fort Lauderdale. Cabin safety training is still optionalSydney highlighted the importance of safety training for corporate flight attendants and acknowledged that her training had helped her to act in the face of disaster. She also said that there is no requirement for corporate flight attendants to be safety trained and that they could act instead as 'cabin server'. She said, "Most people think something like this will never happen to them. And of course, I never thought this would happen to me either. But if it happened to me, it could happen to you."