NEW YORK, Nov. 3 — The nine victims of a plane crash in the U.S. state of Florida on Sunday have been identified, local media reported Monday.
They included a 44-year-old tech entrepreneur, his wife and their two children, aged 2 and 4, as well as two close family friends and a nanny. The pilot was 55 years old, while the co-pilot was 20.
The jet departed Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in the U.S. state of Texas and was headed to North Eleuthera Airport in the Bahamas when it went down.
Minutes before the crash, the pilot reported ice accumulating on the aircraft and moderate turbulence, according to a recording of air traffic control radio communications captured by LiveATC.net.
Moments later, the plane declared an emergency and plunged about 8,200 meters in one minute.
There were scattered storms in the area at the time of the crash, and the plane passed through a stronger storm cell a few minutes before it began descending, according to media reports.
Video of the crash showed the aircraft nosediving from the sky and erupting into a massive fireball near a major roadway, leaving a crater. (Namibia Daily News/Xinhua)
