Fiery Small Plane Crash in Boca Raton Kills All 3 on Board, Leaves Driver Injured After Driving Through Explosion

A small plane crashed in a fiery explosion in Boca Raton on Friday morning, killing all three people on board and injuring a man who was driving nearby, authorities confirmed.

The crash occurred shortly after 10:20 a.m. near the intersection of Military Trail and Glades Road, not far from Boca Raton Airport and Interstate 95.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the aircraft—a Cessna 310—had just departed from Boca Raton Airport en route to Tallahassee International Airport when it went down. The plane was carrying three individuals at the time.

Boca Raton Fire Rescue Assistant Chief Michael LaSalle reported that all three people on board died in the crash. A man on the ground, identified as Pablo Tafur, suffered non-life-threatening injuries after his car became engulfed in flames due to the fiery impact.

“One gentleman on the ground hit a tree because of all the debris and fire,” LaSalle said. “He drove through the fireball.”

Tafur later recounted the terrifying experience, saying he was simply on his way to work when he noticed the aircraft flying unusually low.

“I saw the plane fly low and the next thing I know it’s right in front of me and explodes,” Tafur said. “It crashed right in front of my car. I tried to steer away, but it was unavoidable. I got out of the car—through the flames—and made it to safety.”

Aerial footage showed wreckage scattered across a roadway and nearby train tracks as fire crews worked to extinguish the flames. The remains of the three victims were visible among the debris, and Tafur’s burned-out vehicle was located next to a tree.

According to flight tracking data from Flightradar24, the aircraft appeared to circle in the sky and turn back toward the airport before the crash.

Assistant Chief LaSalle said emergency crews responded to earlier reports that the plane was experiencing mechanical issues before going down.

Jared Scarpato, a student pilot at Boca Raton Airport, confirmed there was radio chatter about a technical emergency.

“Someone said over the frequency they were declaring an emergency due to a stuck rudder,” Scarpato said. “About five minutes later, all we heard were sirens. Just devastating.”

Several witnesses working nearby reported seeing the plane flying extremely low before the impact. Many described their buildings shaking from the explosion.

“It looked like it was headed back toward the airport, and then it suddenly dropped below the tree line,” said witness Dillon Smith. “We heard a loud boom and the windows shook. Then we saw a cloud of smoke.”

Other witnesses described how close the aircraft came to nearby structures.

“We thought it skimmed the top of one of the buildings—it was that low,” said David Simon.

Following the crash, Boca Raton Police and Fire Rescue units responded, and surrounding streets were shut down for several hours as investigators worked at the scene.

The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are expected to lead the investigation into what caused the deadly crash.

Reference: Fiery Boca Raton plane crash kills 3 people on board, injures man in car

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