Small Plane Crashes In Public Storage Building; 2 Killed

PEMBROKE PARK, FL — Two people aboard a twin-engine Aero Commander airplane were killed Friday when the aircraft crashed into a multi-story Public Storage building not far from Miami.

Two yellow tarps were visible in news helicopter video shot from above the scene as first responders combed the crash scene.

"I just know that there are two confirmed bodies deceased in the plane that are passengers of the plane," Sgt. Don Prichard of the Broward Sheriff's Office told reporters at the crash site. "The debris field is pretty large so the plane is mangled."

Prichard said the plane took off from Pompano Beach and was headed to the Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport.

"The 9-1-1 call advised that there was a low-flying plane that they believed crashed," Prichard said.

The four-story Public Storage suffered exterior damage in the crash but the extent of the damage was not clear. The Public Storage website listed weekday office hours from 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.

"At that time it does not appear that anyone was in the building," Prchard said. "Our Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue did do an initial structure assessment of the building and deemed it as OK for now. However, the Pembroke Park building inspectors are going to do a thorough inspection of the building."

A spokesperson for the Federal Aviation Administration told patch the crash occurred around 9 a.m.

"The FAA and NTSB will investigate," the FAA spokesperson said. According to FAA public records, the plane is registered to Conquest Air. Inc. of Miami Lakes, Florida.

The Conquest website said the company is a cargo airline providing daily service to Nassau, Bahamas and service as needed to Freeport, Abaco and the Caribbean.

First responders from the Broward Sheriff's Office, Hollywood Fire Rescue and Hollywood Police Department were on the scene of the crash at 1781 S. Park Road.

"Their initial thing was just to assess the scene and make sure that the plane was not a risk to the surrounding area, make sure that it was not going to catch fire or explode,"Prichard said.

Two people were rescued Thursday when their single-engine Cessna 172 made an emergency landing about 10 miles west of Hollywood, Florida in a swampy area of the Florida Everglades.