Investigations are underway into failures in cargo securing as a cause of the airplane accident in which a father and daughter died in Florida

A new preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) points to possible failures in cargo handling and securing as a key factor in the tragic plane crash that claimed the lives of 53-year-old pilot Alexander Wurm and his 22-year-old daughter Serena, as they were flying from Fort Lauderdale to Jamaica to deliver humanitarian aid. This information was confirmed this Thursday by Local 10 News, which had access to the investigative document.

The plane, a Beechcraft King Air B100, nosedived on November 10 into a residential area of Coral Springs, minutes after taking off from Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport. A father and daughter were part of a Christian mission transporting supplies for those affected by Hurricane Melissa in Jamaica.

According to the investigation, the cargo on board, which included a generator, toolboxes, tarps, and flashlights, was not physically weighed or properly secured before takeoff.

Instead, Wurm verified the “documented” weight of each box and organized the items inside the cabin without securing them to the seats, which could have affected the aircraft's balance. The generator was secured with straps, but the rest of the material remained unsecured on the seats, according to the NTSB.

The researchers added that the plane was carrying a full tank, with 282 gallons of fuel, and that there were already about 200 pounds of equipment on board before the group that provided the humanitarian supplies arrived.

The report also mentions that, during the initial ascent, the pilot followed air traffic control instructions, but seconds later stopped responding. The recordings captured sounds of heavy breathing and grunting inside the cockpit as the aircraft accelerated and descended rapidly, ultimately crashing into a pond in the Windsor Bay neighborhood.

Surveillance videos showed the plane emerging from a cloud with its nose pointed downwards, without any signs of smoke or visible engine failures, which aligns with the hypothesis of a sudden problem with control or internal stability.

The NTSB emphasized that these findings are preliminary and subject to change, but suggest that the handling of the cargo, its weight, distribution, and securing may have played a crucial role in the loss of control. The final report could take about a year to complete.

Alexander and Serena Wurm, residents of the Cayman Islands, were recognized for their humanitarian work and their active participation in Christian missions. Their death shocked the religious community and aid groups that were working to deliver supplies to Jamaica following the devastating passage of Hurricane Melissa.