NAPLES, Fla. — The family of one of the pilots killed in the Naples plane crash says their loved one had a passion for flying at a very young age.
Edward Daniel Murphy's family tells Fox 4 he was known as Daniel or Ed to his Florida family. The Collier County Sheriff's Office says he lived in Oakland Park.
"He was dedicated to his work and has lived his life doing what made him happy everyday," a family member says. "I would imagine that his primary concern the day of the accident were the lives of others on that plane."
Murphy, along with the other pilot, Ian Hofmann, reported dual engine failure, according to authorities. Word of the failure came over the air traffic control radio in a calm demeanor, though it's not clear if it's Murphy's or Hofmann's voice.
Then, radio traffic went silent. Witnesses on I-75 saw the plane coming from the south. The right wing reportedly clipped the sound barrier wall, spun around and crashed, avoiding surrounding neighborhoods.
The pilots died in the crash, but were able to save the three survivors.
In a harrowing video, you can see all three survivors running out of the plane. Those survivors include crew member Sydney Ann Bosmans, 27, of Jupiter, Florida along with the two passengers, 35-year-old Aaron Baker and 23-year-old Audra Green, both of Columbus, Ohio. They were treated for their injuries at a local hospital.
The NTSB will release a preliminary report in 30 days about the crash. However, a probable cause and contributing factors can take one to two years to determine.
