Shocking 911 audio captures moment CEO and daughter nosedive into Florida lake
Chilling 911 audio captured the chaotic moments after a Christian ministry CEO and his daughter fatally crashed their plane into a South Florida lake.
A devastating crash in Coral Springs on Monday morning sent debris flying just feet from family homes as stunned neighbors looked on helplessly.
The private Beechcraft King Air, driven by 53-year-old Alexander Wurm and his 22-year-old daughter Serena, spiraled into the water minutes after takeoff, causing Florida’s little residents to scream for help.
After the crash, which was strong enough to shake homes, residents reported smelling aviation fuel and noticing what appeared to be human remains scattered near the crash site.
Wurm, the founder of Ignition Ministry, a faith-based organization, made repeated trips to the Caribbean to deliver aid to communities devastated by Hurricane Melissa.
The two had departed Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport and were headed to Montego Bay, Jamaica, when the plane suddenly lost altitude and plunged behind homes in the Windsor Bay neighborhood.
A shocking recording came from a woman inside a house; The plane nearly crashed as it passed through trees and destroyed part of the backyard fence before exploding into the lake.
‘Damn… A plane crashed into my house,’ he shouted at the officer. ‘Someone needs to come, I smell a lot of fuel outside.’
Christian ministry CEO Alexander Wurm, 53, and his daughter Serena, 22, were identified as the victims of a fatal plane crash in Florida on Monday.
The moment the plane crashed into the pond and disintegrated is seen in the video footage.
The dispatcher urged him to evacuate immediately.
“I’ve got to go, I’ve got to get my family out,” the terrified resident replied before hanging up.
Further calls came from residents who saw the plane’s final moments as it plummeted downwards, disappeared below the tree line and disappeared into the water after a huge splash.
One woman said, ‘I just see bubbles… they’ve disappeared.’ ‘They didn’t make it.’
Another caller shouted, “It shook the whole house.”
In one memorable call, a woman described coming across something scary near the crash site.
‘I think I was passing bits of bodies on the street,’ he said, and told people nearby: ‘Guys, don’t touch him, leave him where he is.’
He added: ‘There appears to be some sort of body part and I can’t identify it. ‘We were very scared and traumatized.’
In the footage, the plane can be seen falling from the sky. The father and daughter were on their way to deliver aid to Hurricane Melissa victims when the crash occurred.
Firefighters and rescue crews at small pond in Coral Springs, Florida, after Monday’s crash
The Miami radar air traffic controller also called 911 and announced that the crew had disappeared from his screen.
“We were just talking to the plane and then we lost communication with them… We lost the radar,” he told the dispatcher.
‘We saw them land and then they left. We assume they either crashed or landed.’
Within minutes, rescuers confirmed the worst.
Wurm and her daughter, Serena, were on a humanitarian flight and were part of a series of missions the couple undertook in the wake of Hurricane Melissa.
The father-daughter duo were on their way to bring aid to the stricken island of Jamaica when the King Air sank, his ministry said.
The Ignition Ministry said Wurm was ‘dedicated to empowering young people through missions and evangelism in the Caribbean’ and that ‘their final journey embodies sacrifice and courage, reminding us of the power of service and love.’
‘Alex traveled a lot throughout his life,’ the band wrote in a tribute. ‘His legacy of faith and compassion touched countless lives.’
Image of an airplane wheel at the site where Wurm and his daughter’s jet crashed
Wurm was the founder of the Ignite the Fire ministry, which said it was ‘dedicated to empowering youth through missions and evangelism in the Caribbean.’
The ministry described Serena as a young woman who grew up in her father’s business: ‘A beacon of empathy and hope who inspires everyone with her dedication to humanitarian work.’
Just days before the crash, Wurm had already completed another emergency trip, providing solar panels, tarps, the Starlink system and other supplies to groups operating in Jamaica.
In a post on social media at the time, the aid organization Crisis International announced that the aid it provided was ‘huge’.
In a video statement reacting to the news of his death, founder Sean Malone said Wurm was ‘absolutely amazing’ during the rescue operations and that they knew something was wrong when he didn’t land in Jamaica as expected this time.
“Unfortunately, we learned that her plane crashed in Coral Springs, Florida, and she and her daughter did not survive,” Malone said. ‘We are in complete shock and disbelief at the situation.’
The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating what caused the disastrous landing.
No distress calls were received before the crash, and authorities have not yet said whether the plane suffered mechanical failure, engine failure or loss of control.
