Todd Curtis and John Goglia discuss the February 9, 2024 crash of a Challenger 604 jet on I75 in Florida. The plane landed on the road, but then crashed into a wall, killing the pilot and copilot. John and Todd discuss why a better outcome was possible.

The jet, which had three crew members and two passengers, was nearing the end of a flight from Columbus, Ohio, when the flight crew declared an emergency to air traffic control. They lost their engines and could not make it to the airport.

Little official information was available at the time of the recording. It was not known whether the aircraft was equipped with a cockpit voice recorder or flight data recorder. The engines appear to be intact, which will help with the investigation.

John and Todd compare this accident to a 1997 Southern Airways DC9 crash in New Hope, Georgia. In that accident the crew was able to land on a road, and the aircraft caught fire after running into obstructions near the road.

In both accidents there were survivors among the cabin crew and passengers. Todd and John encourage pilots to assess their options for making an emergency landing so they are prepared to take action if an emergency occurs.

Don’t miss what’s to come from the Flight Safety Detectives - subscribe to the Flight Safety Detectives YouTube channel, listen at your favorite podcast service and visit the Flight Safety Detectives website.

Music: “Inspirational Sports” license ASLC-22B89B29-052322DDB8