PEMBROKE PARK, Fla. – The twin-engine Aero Commander 500 that crashed Friday was removed from the scene — a storage facility’s parking lot — piece by piece on Saturday and loaded onto flatbed trucks.
As the investigation continues into what caused the plane to crash, the remnants will be taken to a hangar to be examined by investigators.
Surveillance cameras from a nearby building captured the moment the aircraft hit the fifth floor of the building on Park Road before crashing into the pavement.
The 1969 Aero Commander 500 took off from Pompano Beach Airpark after 9 a.m. en route to Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport, but just 9 minutes after departure, something went wrong.
“I can tell you that when a twin-engine airplane loses an engine, it can be very difficult to fly,” Steven J. Grey, a pilot for Total Traffic, told Local 10.
Local 10 spoke to the family of one of the men who lost their life and they are understandably devastated. Joaquin Ricalde Magaña was from Mexico. His family has strong political ties to the Yucatán Peninsula.
Grey said he knew the pilot that was killed in the crash. Out of respect for the family, we are not releasing his name, but those in aviation said they knew him well.
“This is a man that just loved to fly,” Grey said. “Anytime you lose a pilot in the community, it’s bad but to find out it’s a friend.”
The plane was owned by Conquest Air, a Miami Lakes based company that flies daily trips to the Bahamas, but they told Local 10 the plane was not part of the company’s cargo operation and was not used for commercial purposes.
In a statement released by the company, it said:
“Our concern is with the pilots and their families. We will continue to work with relevant authorities to obtain more information regarding this situation.”
The National Transportation Safety Board along with the Federal Aviation Administration will be among the agencies investigating the crash.