NAPLES, Fla. – Dramatic new video shows the moments before a jet crashed on I-75 in Southwest Florida.
The jet, carrying five people, crashed on Friday, killing the two pilots and forcing the shutdown of a portion of the interstate for days.
The pilots’ actions likely saved countless lives after both engines went out and they landed with no bystander lives lost. Dashcam video shows the pilots, Edward Daniel Murphy and Ian Frederick Hofmann, did what they could to avoid cars as the small jet crashed along the interstate.
“Very, very fortunate. Especially for that pilot who really did everything he could to save lives on the ground,” homeowner Javed Kapadia said.
Sheri Rapisarda, a former paramedic, started recording with her phone before helping out.
“Once I did realize that a plane had crashed, and there were survivors from this plane crash... I knew quickly that I needed to get the survivors away from the plane because the jet fuel was going to explode,” Rapisarda said.
A deputy’s body camera captured the moment Rapisarda led three crash survivors to safety.
She said the explosion happened seconds after she got the three survivors away from the plane.
One of the pilots, Ian Hofmann, was an Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University graduate. A GoFundMe account has been set up in his name to raise money for funeral expenses.
The cause of the plane crash is under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board. The company that owns the jet said it is assisting and also mourning the loss of the pilots.
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