Fire rescue officials in Boca Raton, Florida, have confirmed three people were killed, and one person was injured on the ground after a small plane crashed shortly after takeoff from the Boca Raton Airport Friday.
The plane's crew had reported mechanical issues to the airport at around 10:17 a.m. and crashed minutes later, according to the FAA, reports NBC affiliate WPTV in West Palm Beach.
It had been en route to the Tallahassee International Airport.
Boca Raton Fire Rescue Assistant Chief Michael LaSalle said during a press conference Friday afternoon that his department received a call at around 10:12 a.m. "for a plane in trouble."
"The aircraft apparently had some mechanical issues and went down here on Military Trail," he said.
The person on the ground was injured after hitting a tree because of the fire and debris caused by the crash.
"It's non-life-threatening injuries," LaSalle said about the man injured on the ground. "We treated him and sent him to the hospital. He drove through, apparently, the fireball, [but] this is unconfirmed."
The identities of the victim on the ground and those in the plane have not been released.
The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the cause of the crash with the NTSB leading the probe.
According to the Boca Raton Police Department, roads were closed in the area of Military Trail and 19th Street. In addition, the exit from I-95 to Glades Road was closed, and the Glades Road overpass was closed in all directions.
Videos from the crash showed smoke coming from several fires along the highway, and police were urging people to avoid the crash site, which occurred less than half a mile from Boca Raton High School.
The high school was not in danger from the crash, according to the School District of Palm Beach County. School operations are continuing as usual, and parents were asked not to pick up their children, as traffic in the area remained congested.
The crash comes just hours after a family of five Spanish tourists was killed in a helicopter crash in New York City on Thursday. The aircraft crashed into the Hudson River while the family was flying over the New York City skyline on a sightseeing tour celebrating one of the children's birthdays. The helicopter's pilot also died in the crash.