Hurricane supplies may have contributed to fatal Coral Springs plane crash: feds
Relief supplies intended to aid Jamaicans devastated by Hurricane Melissa may have contributed to the cause of a Coral Springs plane crash that killed the two humanitarian missionaries organizing the goodwill effort, a new preliminary report revealed Wednesday.
On Nov. 10, Alexander Wurm, 53 and his daughter Serena Wurm, 22, were loading his plane at Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport with hurricane supplies with the help of Ignite the Fire Ministry members, an organization Wurm founded.
READ MORE: Father and daughter Christian missionaries killed in Coral Springs plane crash
According to Wednesday’s National Transportation Safety Board preliminary report, Wurm told the group he could only take about 1,000 pounds of cargo on the trip to Montego Bay in Jamaica. However, before loading began, he’d already hauled aboard about 200 pounds of equipment.
They began loading the supplies on the twin-engine Beech B100, which included a generator and boxes of flashlights, screws, electric tools and tarpaulins. Wurm arranged the goods around the cabin, but did not weigh nor secure them, the report said.
He did, however, check the weight shown on each box as it was loaded and determined that the plane was at capacity. Cargo was left behind, and the group decided they could be taken on another flight.
Wurm took off around 10:14 a.m. and spent three and a half minutes climbing to an altitude of 4,000 feet, the report said. He spoke with air traffic controllers, who gave him instructions, but the so-far routine flight almost immediately began to turn south.
His plane began accelerating to 230 mph downward to 3,100 feet, the report read. The controller tried to get in contact with Wurm but heard no response only heavy breathing and “grunting” sounds as the plane descended to about 1,500 feet.
The last recorded location of the plane, which had ramped up in speed to about 310 mph, was 350 feet above a lake behind a neighborhood of Coral Springs home — the site of the ensuing crash, the report read.
Several security cameras captured the final seconds of the flight. For just two frames, one video showed the plane in a steep nosedive before striking the water. Another didn’t show the crash, but showed the plane careening from the clouds, nose-down, seconds before the crash.
Wurm and his daughter died in the crash.
Wurm purchased the plane in February 2024 and four months later he upgraded it with new avionics and interior furnishings. He’s been a pilot since 2005.
The NTSB is still investigating the plane crash and has not officially determined the cause of the crash.
“Alexander, known for his warmth and unwavering kindness, devoted his life to serving others — both through his actions and by sharing the gospel of Jesus across the globe,” his Cayman Islands-based ministry wrote on Facebook at the time of the crash.
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