WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. --
Three people were killed and one person was critically injured after a small plane crashed during takeoff at Palm Beach International Airport and caught fire Thursday evening.
PBIA spokeswoman Cassandra Davis said there were four people on board the Piper PA-44 when the plane crashed at about 6:10 p.m.
Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen said the aircraft was taking off when it caught fire, but it was not clear if the plane ever got off the ground.
Palm Beach County Fire Rescue Deputy Chief Steve Delai said firefighters were called to the scene and found the plane engulfed in flames.
The plane is missing some parts, Delai said. The tail section is not with the plane. Whether that separated from the plane and caused the crash or it separated as a result of the crash, we simply don't know.
Crews eventually contained the fire and found one of the victims was still alive, Delai said. He said it took firefighters 10 to 15 minutes to extricate the man.
The idea is to stabilize him, get him en route to the hospital. He was the only survivor on the flight, Delai said.
The survivor, who is 20 to 40 years old, was flown to St. Mary's Medical Center in West Palm Beach in critical condition. He was breathing on his own when he arrived, the fire rescue spokesman said.
Records show the plane was owned by FIT Aviation LLC, a Melbourne flight school.Representatives at the school said classes were canceled Friday at the Florida Institute of Technology's flight school.
Melbourne International Airport spokeswoman Lori Booker said the plane left Melbourne on Thursday morning for the Bahamas. She said it was on its return flight when it stopped off in West Palm Beach.
PBIA's website was not reporting any flight delays.
Jane Smida said she was on a Delta flight from Atlanta that had just touched down at PBIA when she saw a small plane take off and run into trouble.
You could see that a plane was taking off, turned and then crashed and (there was) fire, witness Smida said.
Smida said the pilots on the plane she was riding in cleared the runway and slowed down as firefighters and police rushed to the scene.
Well, they certainly knew that something had happened and were waiting for instructions so they could sort it out, but clearly it was a terrible thing, Smida said.
The crash remains under investigation by the National Transportation and Safety Bureau.
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