Plane Crashes Off Miami Beach

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6:45 AM Update

Interesting information on potential terrorism activity from NBC6

Because of the reports that there was an explosion, the FBI sent agents to assist in the investigation but there was no immediate indication of terrorism or criminal intent, said Judy Orihuela, spokeswoman for the FBI’s Miami field office.

“It’s too soon to say whether we are going to get involved,” Orihuela said. “We’re just going to check it out.”

Chalk’s is too small to fall under the federal guidelines that require that passengers and their luggage be inspected by Transportation Security Administration screeners, said Dale Karlen, federal security director at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.

10:35 PM Update:

Press Conference

NTSB is thanking the people who responded to the crash. They will raise the aircraft tomorrow morning. They will investigate the aircraft starting tomorrow, gathering records from the airline and the voice recorder.

Anyone who has information, video, and photographs please call 305 597 4613 Extension 13 , and leave a message with the NTSB with what you know. (ed: Think a web site would make more sense?)

19 Bodies have been recovered, 1 is missing. The Coast Guard has suspended the search for the evening.

10:00 PM Update

Plane_crash_miami

Coast Guard is asking for anyone who finds debris to please turn it into them .

A local surfer says he saw the plane flying low and explode in mid air. The plane was heading towards a group of swimmers and surfers, and then turned out to sea at the last minute.

There are still many Coast Guard and police vessels searching at this hour for survivors or bodies They have a number of safety precautions involved in the search area to prevent contamination of both the crash site and environmental concerns.

Surfer – Something was really wrong.

Vincent Dilella looked up when he heard the strange sound from the sky, knowing almost immediately something was horribly wrong.

He saw a seaplane about 300 feet in the air, emerging from behind one of the many high-rise condominiums that dot the coast of Miami Beach. And in the next moment, one of the aircraft’s wings was in flames, generating such force that Dilella felt the heat blast in his face.

Washington Post: Update 7:31 PM

A propeller-driven seaplane carrying 20 people crashed just off Miami Beach within sight of the city’s high-rises Monday, killing at least 19 of those aboard, authorities said. Witnesses said the plane exploded in flames as it came down, and the FBI joined the investigation.

NBC6 – Has More Video and Images

From Miami Herald:

UPDATE AT 4:45 PM

By 4:45 p.m., at least 14 bodies had been recovered, and O’Neil said there were no reports of survivors.

Update at 4:25

At least 12 people died Monday afternoon when a seaplane crashed just outside Government Cut near South Beach, sending jet skiers, surfers and rescue workers scrambling to pull passengers from the ocean.

Witnesses on South Beach said the plane flying east and trailing smoke before the rear burst into flames around 2:30 p.m.

”All of a sudden it just burst into a big ball of fire and it went right down,” said Larry Little, 59, who was working construction on the Apogee building in South Pointe and watched the plane somersault into the water.

There were conflicting reports about the number of passengers aboard the Grumman G73-T Mallard airplane.

The owner of Chalk’s Ocean Airways, which owns the plane, said there were two pilots and 20 passengers, including three unticketed infants.

From the AP:

A seaplane carrying at least 16 people crashed off Miami Beach within sight of the city’s high-rises Monday, killing at least 12 of those aboard, authorities said. Scuba divers and rescuers in speedboats struggled to reach the victims.

CNN Reports:

Because of witness reports of an explosion before the propeller-driven plane went down, the FBI sent agents to assist in the investigation, but there was no immediate indication of terrorism or sabotage, said Judy Orihuela, spokeswoman for the FBI’s Miami field office.

“It’s too soon to say whether we are going to get involved,” Orihuela said. “We’re just going to check it out.”

The Chalk’s Ocean Airways plane went down around 2:30 p.m. in a channel used by cruise ships. The Coast Guard said it was carrying 14 passengers and two crew members, while the local Fire Department said 17 passengers and two crew members were aboard.

Coast Guard Lt. Cmdr. Chris O’Neil said at least six bodies were recovered.

Javier Otero, Miami Beach Fire Department support services chief, said there were survivors, but it was not immediately clear how many.

“We’re still trying to get people out of the water,” Otero said.

Law enforcement officers searched for victims via boats and helicopters and were joined by others in private boats, on Jet Skis and on surfboards.