LAKE WORTH, Fla. — June Bingham, vice president of Lake Osborne Estate Association, described what it sounded like when a small plane crashed in the Lake Osborne Estates community on Monday afternoon.
‘It only sounded like a car crash, just a big boom!'
WATCH BELOW: WPTV's Ange Toussaint was on the scene Monday afternoon
Investigators say the single-engine plane took off from Lantana Airport shortly after 4 p.m. The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s office said the plane clipped a palm tree at 3800 Lake Osbourne Drive, then struck a moving car on Lake Osbourne Drive.
The plane crashed onto the sidewalk just feet away from the lake, inside the residential community.
Two people were in the plane including the pilot, five people in the car including an adult and four children--all taken to the hospital with minor injuries.
“They were a little shaken up,” said an eyewitness.
Flight data shows the plane was heading to Curacao International Airport in Willemstad, Curacao.
The single-engine aircraft is listed under the tail number N974FL. FAA records show the plane was manufactured by Orlican S R O and registered under Valiair Trustee---an aviation trust company based in Utah. Company CEO, Marco Reininger, said the aircraft was in the U.S. for maintenance at the time of the crash.
While the investigation into the crash begins, residents tell me they’ve been sounding the alarm about Palm Beach County Park, Lantana Airport, for years.
“I’m concerned every day about what could happen. It is not the first, the second, or the third crash,’ remarked Mary De Villiers with the Civic Association for Lake Osborne estates
WPTV uncovered a series of issues with flights originating from Lantana Airport back in 2023. A crash in 2018--a 2020 plane crash in Boynton Beach, which killed the pilot. A 2021 crash near Boynton Beach Inlet also led to a death and a 2022 hard landing in John Prince Park — all flights were departing from the same airport.
“I just wish that there was a little more eyes and flexibility and hearing what the community is seeing on a daily basis.’ De Villiers said.
