MIAMI – One person was killed and five others were injured Saturday afternoon after a small plane caught on fire after crashing on the Haulover Inlet bridge in Miami, authorities confirmed.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration, the single-engine Cessna 172 lost engine power before crashing on the bridge, about five miles east of the Opa-Locka Airport, around 1 p.m.
The man who died has been identified by the National Air Traffic Controllers Association as 36-year-old Narciso Torres, who worked for the FAA for more than a decade at various airports.
“One they had extinguished the fire they were able to discover that there was one person deceased inside that aircraft,” said Alvaro Zabaleta of the Miami-Dade Police Department.”
An SUV that was traveling southbound was hit head-on by the plane. In that vehicle was a woman and two toddlers. They were treated for non-life-threatening injuries, police say. The three have since been released from the hospital.
“We had three Miami-Dade Fire Rescue lifeguards who started assisting patients, aircraft down in flames, in addition to a vehicle that was hit by the aircraft,” Miami-Dade Fire Rescue spokeswoman Erika Benitez said.
Three people were onboard the plane.
Officials said two of them are in serious critical condition.
One person was transported by Air Rescue to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center, one was transported by ground to the Aventura Hospital and three people had non-life-threatening injuries and were transported by ground to a local area hospital, officials said.
HAPPENING NOW: A small plane has crashed into the Haulover Inlet Bridge. Traffic on the bridge shut down in both directions. Unknown number of injuries & fatalities at this point. pic.twitter.com/QIDXWAHQSY
— Liane Morejon WPLG (@LianeWPLG) May 14, 2022
According to the FAA, the plane had departed from Fort Lauderdale International Airport and was heading to Key West International Airport when the incident occurred.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue officials confirmed that the fire was extinguished and DERM was notified due to fuel runoff from the plane.
The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the incident, with the NTSB taking the lead.
Collins Avenue from 96th Street to 163rd Street was shut down while the NTSB conducted its investigation into what caused the plane to crash.
Small plane lost engine power landing on Haulover inlet bridge hitting a car while landing.
— Bridgette Matter (@Bmatternews) May 14, 2022
The NTSB is investigating.
Video credit: Kai Colon pic.twitter.com/Y6rt9H5WQO