NAPLES, FL (AP) – All lanes of Interstate 75 near Naples are open on Monday following a deadly plane crash on Friday.

The Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) posted on social media Sunday evening saying thanks to the round-the-clock work of emergency crews cleaning up the wreckage, all southbound lanes on I-75 had reopened and traffic was flowing as usual.

Over the weekend, the pilot and co-pilot were identified as the two killed in a fiery plane crash. The Collier County Sheriff’s Office identified the 50-year-old pilot as Edward Daniel Murphy and the 65-year-old co-pilot as Ian Frederick Hofmann.

The three survivors were crew member Sydney Ann Bosmans, 23, and passengers Aaron Baker, 35, and Audra Green, 23, both of Columbus, Ohio. The three were taken to a local hospital for injuries. Their conditions are unknown.

Federal authorities have launched an investigation to determine why the private jet tried to make an emergency landing on I-75, colliding with a vehicle and sparking a fiery crash that left two people dead. Courtesy: Chris O’Conner via AP

Moments before the private jet slammed into a Florida highway, the pilot had calmly told an airport controller that the aircraft “was not going to make the runway” because it had lost both engines.

The jet, with five people aboard, was bound for the airport in Naples when it tried to make an emergency landing on Interstate 75 on Friday afternoon. Witnesses say it collided with a vehicle — the wing of the plane dragging a car before slamming into a wall. An explosion followed, with flames and black smoke rising from the scene.

Federal authorities have launched an investigation into the crash near Naples, just north of where the interstate heads east toward Fort Lauderdale along Alligator Alley.

The Florida Highway Patrol says a plane collided with a vehicle as it made the emergency landing on Interstate 75 near Naples, FL. FHP says the southbound lanes of I-75 are closed in that area.
Courtesy: FDOT/The News-Press via AP

The plane had taken off from an airport at Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio, about 1 p.m. It was scheduled to land in Naples around the time of the crash, Naples Airport Authority spokesperson Robin King said, when pilot contacted the tower requesting an emergency landing.

“Got that. Emergency. Clear to land. Runway. Two. Three,” the air traffic controller responded to the pilot, in audio obtained by The Associated Press.

“We’re clear to land, but we’re not gonna make the runway. We’ve lost both engines,” the pilot calmly replied.

The tower lost contact, and then airport workers saw the smoke from the interstate just a few miles away, King said.

King said they sent fire trucks with special foam to the scene, and three of the five people on board were taken from the wreckage alive.

Emergency officials work the scene of a small plane crash on Interstate 75 in Naples, FL, near Exit 105, Friday, Feb. 9, 2024. Two people were confirmed dead. Courtesy: Andrew West/The News-Press via AP

Brianna Walker saw the wing of the plane drag the car in front of hers and slam into the wall.

“It’s seconds that separated us from the car in front of us,” she said. “The wing pulverized this one car.”

Walker and her friend spotted the plane moments before it hit the highway, allowing her friend to pull over before the crash.

“The plane was over our heads by inches,” she said. “It took a hard right and skid across the highway.”

Federal authorities said a preliminary report about the cause of the crash can be expected in 30 days.