Witnesses described unusually ‘loud and low’ sounds from a plane (Picture: WFLA News 8)
Three people have died after a small plane crashed into a highway in a city in Florida, local media report.
Footage showed the burning wreckage of the aircraft as well as a car ablaze near the crash site in Boca Raton on Friday morning.
Residents described hearing a plane which sounded ‘really loud and low’ shortly before.
Flight data appeared to show the Cessna 310R propellor aircraft circling multiple times shortly after taking off from Boca Raton Airport.
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Flight tracking data appeared to show the plane circling multiple times (Picture: FlightRadar24)
The pilot reported ‘mechanical issues’ while attempting to approach the airport, possibly in an attempt to return, according to Boca News Now.
Local police confirmed told people to ‘avoid the area’ and closed two highways as well as an overpass near the crash site.
Debris was scattered across the road as well as an adjacent railway where the bulk of the wreckage appeared came to a stop.
The body of one of the victims appeared to be briefly visible in early live footage from a local news helicopter.
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The bulk of the wreckage came to a stop onrailway adjacent to the road
The incident comes a day after a fatal helicopter crash in New York City.
A Spanish family of five, including three children, and the pilot were killed after the aircraft plunged into the Hudson River on Thursday.
The family were pictured smiling together moments before boarding the helicopter for a sightseeing trip.
This year has seen several high-profile air travel incidents, including the collision between an American Airlines Bombardier jet and a US Air Force helicopter in January, which killed 67 people.
The following month eighteen people were injured when another Bombardier jet overturned on landing at Toronto Pearson airport in Canada.
In March, a Boeing jet caught fire shortly after landing in Denver, with all passengers evacuated safely.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA), a body representing 349 airlines from 120 countries, has stressed that although the fatality rate of incidents has increased recently, accidents remain ‘extremely rare’ overall.
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