West Palm Beach, FL—Four people were killed when the plane they were occupying crashed upon departing from Palm Beach International Airport on Thursday, November 11, 2010. The fiery multiple-fatality aviation accident happened shortly after 6 p.m., according to information provided by WPBF.
Reports indicated a twin-engine Piper PA-44 aircraft, registered to FIT Aviation, had flown to the Bahamas and was en route to Melbourne when the pilot stopped at PBIA to clear customs. As the small plane took off for a second time, however, something went wrong.
“You could see that a plane was taking off, turned and then crashed and (caught) fire,” said witness Jamie Smida. According to officials from the Florida Institute of Technology, four people were killed in the plane crash.
The victims were identified as flight student Kristopher Henegar, 22; flight instructor Dheni “Jenny” Frembling, 26; student and flight instructor Jordyn Agostini, 21; and passenger Kyle Henegar, 26.
A preliminary probe seemed to indicate the plane might have exceeded its weight limit, National Transportation Safety Board investigator Ralph Wilson said, adding that one of the aircraft’s engines failed.
Even so, Wilson noted, “Engines quit all the time and not everybody crashes.” Additionally, Palm Beach County Fire Rescue Deputy Chief Steve Delai reported, “The plane is missing some parts… The tail section notably is not with the plane. Whether that separated from the plane and caused the crash or whether it separated as a result of the crash, we simply don’t know.”
Reports stated Thursday’s wreck marked the first fatal aviation accident to occur at PBIA in more than 11 years. The last one happened in September 1999 and resulted in a total of eight casualties.
NTSB officials are expected to conduct a full investigation into the deadly plane crash.
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