Two dead after small plane crashes into public storage facility in Pembroke Park
A small plane crashed into a building in Pembroke Park on Friday morning, killing two people on board, according to the Broward Sheriff’s Office.
The prop plane came down in the 1700 block of South Park Road around 9:30 a.m.
A small plane crashed into a public storage facility in Pembroke Park on Friday morning, killing at least two people.
The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed the crash of the twin-engine Aero Commander, but spokesman Rick Breitenfeldt did not confirm how many people were aboard.
The plane — registered to Miami Lakes-based Conquest Air Inc. — crashed at about 9:20 a.m. into the upper floors of the six-story public storage facility and landed in the parking lot at 1781 South Park Road, just south of Pembroke Road and west of Interstate 95.
Two bodies were covered by yellow tarps and firefighters have surrounded the area blocking off South Park Road, but the FAA could not confirm how many people were aboard.
The Broward Sheriff’s Office confirmed, at a midday news conference, there were two dead and no other passengers aboard the aircraft.
The identities of the crash victims were not being released until relatives were informed and gave their permission in accordance with Marsy’s privacy law, said Sgt. Don Prichard.
The National Transportation Safety Board will be among those agencies investigating the crash. It appeared to begin in Pompano Beach.
The plane struck building and the crash was captured on surveillance video obtained by CBS4.
A man who works nearby heard and saw the final moments.
“I heard a whistling sound. When I looked up I saw this plane, it was so low. I moved a little bit. Just as it passed I heard the engine stall out, then it stalled out twice.”
:strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/PYSPES4XRBF2ZMWPY25DV2YSP4.jpg)
He said seconds after tha, the plane crashed.
“After that, I see it banking to the left violently, so I run to get another look, but it was already down. It just happened quickly.”
Just before going down a traffic reporter and his crew heard the desperate call from the cockpit.
“My pilot’s listening on the radio, he hears, ‘Oh F, oh my gosh.’ Then the tower calls out a number, the plane did not respond. Tower declared an emergency,” said Stephen J. Gray from Total Traffic Network.
In video from Chopper 4, the bodies of those on board are covered with yellow tarps near the wreckage of the plane.
The front end of the plane is completely smashed in.
The building, a storage facility, had damage to a fourth floor window and exterior wall.
According to BSO Sgt. Don Prichard, there was nobody in the building at the time.
Prichard also said the plane was leaving Pompano Beach and heading to Opa locka.
No word yet on what caused the accident or who was on board.
The FAA and NTSB will be taking lead in the investigation.
The identities of the crash victims were not being released until relatives were informed and gave their permission in accordance with Marsy’s privacy law, said Sgt. Don Prichard.
The National Transportation Safety Board will be among those agencies investigating the crash. It appeared to begin in Pompano Beach.
This was the second small plane crash in as many days in Broward County.
A single-engine Cessna 172 made an emergency landing in a field in the Everglades on Thursday afternoon, west of Weston south of Everglades Park.
Two men were on board the plane, a pilot and his student. They were taken taken to the Cleveland Clinic hospital for evaluation.
