All four people died in a plane crash after the aircraft nosedived in the woods near the Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport on Sunday, closing down a runway, according to TV station WVSN. "It was coming in for a landing, and it was trying to, I guess, turn and land, and then it just went nose first in," Bobby Bemis told the news outlet. The pilot also reportedly smelled smoke in the cockpit before the disaster.
The Florida airport remained open despite the plane's difficulties after it came from Orlando.
Players on a football field next to the crash site filmed footage of billowing smoke coming from the scene. Bystanders also noticed smoke and tried to provide assistance. Authorities closed access to adjacent Cypress Creek Road and suggested drivers stay away from the 2300 and 2400 blocks of Fort Lauderdale's Northwest area, which is near the site. The names of the deceased were not yet released because they need to be verified by the Broward County Medical Examiner's officer, WVSN reported. The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the case.
