Small plane bound for Jamaica to help with hurricane relief not weighed ahead of fatal crash into Coral Springs pond, NTSB says
A small plane bound for Jamaica to help with hurricane relief efforts wasn't weighed before it crashed in a Coral Springs neighborhood, killing a father and daughter in November, the National Transportation Safety Board said in its preliminary report Wednesday.
The crash that killed 53-year-old Alexander Wurm and his 22-year-old daughter, Serena Wurm, happened the morning of Nov. 10.
Alexander Wurm was a well-known pastor in the Cayman Islands, where he founded the Ignite the Fire church. His ministry was devoted to helping those in need, often flying supplies to communities in crisis.
According to the NTSB, the plane, a Beechcraft King Air B100, was scheduled to make a round-trip flight, departing from Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport to Montego Bay, Jamaica, and returning the same day.
Relief supplies not weighed once loaded on plane
About an hour before the fatal incident, a local church group arrived with relief supplies, which included a generator, multiple boxes of tarpaulins, electric tools, screws and flashlights.
The group was reportedly notified in advance by the pilot, Alexander Wurm, that the aircraft could handle about 1,000 pounds of cargo. However, when the group arrived, he had already loaded about 200 pounds of equipment into the plane behind the pilot's seat, the NTSB report said.
The report said that as the group loaded more equipment on the plane, Alexander Wurm arranged it throughout the cabin, with some in passenger seats. The generator, which didn't have fuel, was loaded in the aft baggage compartment and secured to the airframe with webbing.
However, the rest of the cargo wasn't secured.
"Review of a photo taken after completion showed that the center aisle of the cabin was clear and that the cargo was loaded unsecured throughout the cabin on passenger seats," the NTSB report said.
The report continued to say that the loaded cargo was not weighed, yet Alexander Wurm checked the weight documented on each box as the plane was loaded, and he finished the loading process once he believed the capacity was reached.
The plane was then filled with 282 gallons of jet fuel.
There was leftover cargo, but it was determined to be added to a later flight.
No response after the plane descended
After takeoff, the report said the plane was instructed by air traffic control to start a right turn, and Wurm acknowledged. But shortly after, the plane started to descend, and the controller instructed the pilot to turn, and instead of a response, noises were heard.
"With no response from the pilot, the controller transmitted, 'November zero hotel golf, climbing?' Heavy breathing and 'grunting' sounds could then be heard," the report said.
Soon after, the plane, which was captured on surveillance videos, crashed into a small pond in the 5000 block of NW 57th Way.
NTSB said all of the recovered components will be examined as the official cause of the crash remains under investigation.