One dead in small plane crash near Ft. Lauderdale

The plane crashed just yards from I-95.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Florida (CNN) -- A small twin-engine plane developed engine trouble just short of the runway at an airport here and crashed into a retaining wall beside Interstate 95. One person aboard was killed and two others were seriously injured, officials said.

Dozens of emergency crews responded to the scene, cordoning off the area and diverting traffic from the I-95 off ramp. Fire crews sprayed foam on the wreckage to prevent the leaking jet fuel from catching fire, said Broward County Fire and Rescue spokesman Todd Leduc.

"It was a miracle it didn't hit any cars," he said. I-95 is the major north-south artery along Florida's east coast.

VIDEO A small plane hits an I-95 off-ramp as it tries to land at a Fort Lauderdale, Florida, airport (June 13) Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)

Three people were aboard the twin-engine Beechcraft, flying from Venezuela to Fort Lauderdale, when it crashed shortly before 9:30 p.m. The pilot reported an engine problem as it approached the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, Leduc said.

One of the seriously injured was a 57-year-old man; the other was a 30-year-old woman, he said. Both were rushed to a hospital in nearby Hollywood where they were being evaluated and treated.

Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen said the plane was registered in Venezuela, so little was known about the crew or passengers.

Duty Officer Damien Lee with the Florida State Highway Patrol said authorities are closing down roads in the area to move traffic around the aircraft.

Video from the scene showed the plane perpendicular to southbound I-95, with its nose crumpled into the highway embankment, its tail section cracked.