Two killed after plane crashes onto Florida highway

Two people were killed after a plane crashed onto a southwest Florida highway after attempting an emergency landing. 

Five people were onboard the plane, three of whom were able to safely exit it.

The jet, a Bombardier Challenger 600 series, crashed onto Highway I-75 near Naples, Fla., in Collier County, around 3:15 p.m. local time Friday, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) statement. 

The aircraft took off from from the Ohio State University Airport in Columbus, Ohio. The spokesperson said the plane is not affiliated with the university, according to the Associated Press. 

“They were scheduled to land about 3:15 here in Naples, and about two or three minutes before that, our tower received word from the pilots that they have, quote, ‘lost both engines’,” the director of communications for Naples Airport, Robin King, told The New York Times. “We don’t know exactly what that means. We lost contact.”

King added the plane crashed around two to three miles from the airport.

Due to the plane crashing on the highway, the Collier County Sheriff’s Office announced that a portion of the Interstate 75 will be closed for at least 24 hours. 

The jet was operated by Hop-a-Jet Worldwide Charter, according to the FlightAware aircraft tracker. It was scheduled to land in Naples around 3:12 p.m. local time and then fly to Fort Lauderdale.

The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will investigate the crash, according to the statement from the agency.