Lear jet collides with aerobatic plane in Florida, killing 4

A firefighter douses airplane wreckage that crashed into a golf course community in Boca Raton

Eyewitness: Debris scattered across sky

June 23, 2000
Web posted at: 8:54 p.m. EDT (0054 GMT)

In this story: Golfers run from falling wreckage On its way to get new tail number RELATED STORIES, SITES

BOCA RATON, Florida (CNN) -- Four people died Friday in an explosive collision between a Lear jet that had just taken off and an aerobatic plane, authorities said.

The accident happened shortly after 11:40 a.m. Friday about 2.5 miles west of Boca Raton Airport.

"When they hit, there was just debris everywhere," said Bob Rudinsky, a resident who witnessed the crash. "It was like debris just scattered across the sky."

Wreckage rained down on a one-mile stretch of residential communities, but no injuries were reported on the ground.

The pilot of the smaller aircraft -- an EX-300 aerobatic plane -- was equipped with a parachute that did not deploy properly, police said. His body was found on the street in a cul-de-sac about a quarter-mile from the wreckage of the Lear jet.

The three people aboard the jet -- two pilots and an observer -- were also killed. Their bodies were believed to still be in the cockpit, police said. All those aboard the Lear jet were employees of Universal Jet Aviation Inc., in Boca Raton, a charter service. A spokeswoman identified them as the pilot, Capt. Richard Smith, 40, of Boca Raton, co-pilot Kevin Reyer, 30, and observer Brad Moncrief, no age given.

Rudinsky said he was driving when he saw the smaller plane going "out of control ... just squiggling in the sky." He said it appeared the Lear jet tried to get out of the plane's path.

"I said, 'Oh my God, it looks like they're going to crash,'" Rudinsky said, adding that after the collision the Lear jet "went vertical and exploded."

"It was just terrible to watch," he said. "After the crash, I saw a white parachute and it just hung up in the sky."

The larger plane "looked like it split in half, the front half of the plane buckling underneath it and the thing basically dropped out of the sky like a rock," said Dean Kallan, who works in an office complex across the street.

The cockpit of the twin-engine Lear-55 hit the side of the Boca Grove Plantation five-story luxury condominium complex, where units are listed for sale at just under $1 million and residents can play golf or tennis at the Boca Grove country club.

Another parachute was found in a tree on the 17th hole of the golf course, authorities said.

"We don't believe anybody would have survived this accident, because of the nature of the debris and how it was scattered," said Paul Miller, spokesman for the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Department.

The club's golf pro, Jack Shoenfelt, said there were about 30 players on the course when a large section of the plane crashed near the 17th tee.

Golfer and subdivision resident Edward Brill said a man and woman were about to tee off when the planes fell.

"They said they didn't know which way to run," Brill said. "It's unbelievable no one on the ground got hurt."

The tail section was found nearby. Smaller debris floated down, landing on roofs and in yards.

Local television reports showed firefighters dousing a charred building that appeared to be significantly damaged.

The Lear jet had taken off at about 11:40 a.m. from Boca Executive Airport bound for Fort Pierce, Florida, the company said. The men were taking the plane to get a new tail number painted on. Its current tail number was N220JC.

No crash debris was found near the pilot of the smaller plane, he said, though scattered wreckage from that aircraft was found elsewhere.

The Extra 300 aircraft had been on a 12-minute flight from Pompano Beach to Willis Glide Port near State Route 441 in western Palm Beach County, Miller said.

Copyright 2000   The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

2 killed in air show plane crash near Philadelphia
June 18, 2000
Investigators seek cause of simultaneous engine failures in Pennsylvania air crash
May 22, 2000
NTSB: Learjet crash probe will be difficult
October 26, 1999
NTSB looking for clues in Learjet crash
October 26, 1999
8 killed as plane crashes in Florida
September 3, 1999

Federal Aviation Administration
Palm Beach County Sheriff's Department
Boca Raton Airport Authority
Bombardier Aerospace / Canadair Learjet

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.