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!" Bingham said.
WATCH BELOW: WPTV's Ange Toussaint was on the scene Monday afternoon
Investigators said 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. Also, five people were in the car, including an adult and four children. Everyone was taken to the hospital with minor injuries.
"They were a little shaken up," said an eyewitness.
Flight data showed 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
In 2023, WPTV uncovered a series of issues with flights that all were all trying to land or took off from Lantana Airport:
- 2018 crash killed two people when their plane went down just south of Palm Beach State College while trying to land at the airport
- 2020 crash in Boynton Beach, which killed the pilot
- 2021 crash near the Boynton Beach Inlet, which also led to a death
- Hard landing 2022 hard landing in John Prince Park
- Plane scheduled to land at Palm Beach County Park Airport in 2023 crashed in a nearby field, killing two people
"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.
