“The Miracle on I-75,” that’s how nationally renowned aviation attorney Robert A. Clifford of Chicago describes the tragedy that occurred when a Bombardier Challenger crashed Friday, February 9, 2024, on Interstate 75 in Naples, Florida.
Clifford, with ties to Naples as a homeowner and Board of Trustees member of the Naples Children & Education Foundation, has had previous experience with this type of aircraft. He represented NBC sports executive Dick Ebersol and his wife actress Susan Saint James, when the same type of plane crashed in Colorado in 2004, killing their teenage son.
He stated that crashes like these are “complex matters” and the team of National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigators will leave no stone unturned in determining the probable cause of both engines losing power on the twin-engine aircraft at 18,000 feet. The NTSB preliminary report is expected in 30 days as they inspect every part of the aircraft as well as the black boxes.
“The black boxes on the plane hold a lot of answers, but I have found from my experience that these crashes are not simply solved,” added Clifford. “They are complex events, and the fact that three people on the plane and those on the ground survived is a miracle. It is a credit to the pilots who appeared to have done everything they could to save lives while sacrificing their own. They simply couldn’t make it to the airport but in choosing the Interstate as a possible landing strip, they avoided hitting as many vehicles as possible. They will likely be found to be the true heroes here.”
He went on to say, “The NTSB will review the activities of that aircraft minute-by-minute that day as well as the credentials of the pilots and their experience with the aircraft. The investigators also will look very closely at the fuel load of the aircraft. Specifically, the NTSB will determine if they took on fuel in Columbus after the aircraft left the Florida base. And also, the investigators will closely examine the fuel quantity system to determine if it provided the pilots with accurate information.”
In the aftermath, observers are saying that Collier County rescue squads were already on standby when Naples Airport air traffic controllers cleared every runway for the Bombardier Challenger that simply couldn’t reach the airfield.
For further information or to speak to Robert Clifford this afternoon, call Clifford Law Offices Communications Partner Pamela Sakowicz Menaker at 847-721-0909.