NAPLES, Fla. — Newly released transcripts from federal investigators are shedding light on the final words spoken in the cockpit before a deadly plane crash on I-75 in Naples last year.
The February 2024 crash killed pilot Edward Murphy and co-pilot Ian Hofmann after both engines failed during an attempted emergency landing. The 37-page report released by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) reveals the crew’s desperate final moments.
WATCH TO SEE WHAT THE PILOTS WERE SAYING MOMENTS BEFORE THE CRASH:
Among their last words: “The right engine just quit… lost both engines… we’re not gonna make the runway… land in the grass.”
“It seemed like a fairly routine flight up until the last five minutes,” said Kevin Dohm, a retired pilot with 30 years of experience who reviewed the transcripts for the first time.
Dohm said the crew first became aware of a major issue when cockpit alarms sounded.
“Everything’s normal until the triple chime goes off with the master warning — and they realize they have a serious problem,” he explained.
According to Dohm, the pilots had less than two minutes to react once both engines failed.
“With a guy with 33,000 hours, it sent chills down my back,” he said.
The transcripts show the crew debated their options — one suggesting a water landing, the other saying, “Negative, I’m landing right here.” Seconds before impact, one of the pilots called out, “Brace, brace, brace.”
The jet went down short of the runway. Both pilots died, but all passengers and people on the ground survived — an outcome many have described as heroic.
“That low to the ground, they didn’t have enough altitude to glide to the airport,” Dohm said. “And they did a pretty decent job with where they put it — it could’ve been a lot worse.”
Dohm said the pilots appeared to follow all standard procedures but tells Fox 4 there are still unanswered questions about how both engines failed.
"There are way too many open questions right now," Dohm said.
The NTSB has not yet issued its final report, which typically takes up to two years to complete.
