The two people who died aboard the plane that crashed in a Coral Springs lake on Monday have been identified as the founder of a Christian ministry and his 22-year-old daughter.
Alexander Wurm, 53, and his daughter Serena, 22, were taking humanitarian aid to Jamaica in the wake of Hurricane Melissa when their plane plummeted into the lake tucked between houses in the gated community of Windsor Bay.
Wurm was the founder of Ignite the Fire, an evangelical Christian ministry that conducts missions across the Caribbean. The organization identified him and his daughter as the victims of the crash on social media Monday.
“Alexander, known for his warmth and unwavering kindness, devoted his life to serving others — both through his actions and by sharing the gospel of Jesus across the globe,” the organization said in a post. ” … Serena, following in her father’s footsteps, was a beacon of empathy and hope, inspiring all with her commitment to humanitarian work. Together, their final journey embodied selflessness and courage, reminding us of the power of service and love.”
The 1976 Beech B100 aircraft, an 11-seat, multi-engine plane, took off shortly after 10 a.m. from Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport and was scheduled to land at Montego Bay International Airport shortly after 12:30 p.m., according to FlightAware.
It came down in the Windsor Bay neighborhood in the 5000 block of Northwest 57th Way about 20 minutes later, ripping through one resident’s yard and fence and then crashing into the water, officials and residents told the South Florida Sun Sentinel. Witnesses told dispatchers the plane had been flying dangerously low.
The force of impact sent plumes of water shooting into the air and created waves that spilled into backyards, home surveillance video shared with the Sun Sentinel by one resident showed.
The same plane had traveled to and from Montego Bay and George Town, the capital of the Cayman Islands, within the last week. It arrived at Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport on Friday afternoon, FlightAware tracking data shows.
Posts by Wurm on social media in recent days suggested the evangelist had recently acquired the plane, which he desribed as “an older King Air with brand new engines”
“It’s a perfect missions aircraft,” he wrote. “It can carry a lot and it is a very reliable aircraft.”
Last week, Wurm shared a post that said the plane had successfully landed in Jamaica with supplies, including generators, screws, tarps, battery packs, and StarLink communication systems.
Local organizations as well as city and county governments in South Florida have been accepting donations and supplies since Hurricane Melissa made landfall in Jamaica on Oct. 28 for those affected.
Meanwhile, first responders and law enforcement remained at the scene of the Coral Springs community Tuesday morning, working through the night to retrieve debris and locate the bodies. Equipment was on its way to aid in the recovery, Mike Moser, deputy chief of Coral Springs Fire Rescue, told the Sun Sentinel Tuesday.
A big field of debris was cast around the neighborhood, Moser said, and any residents who find pieces should contact the Coral Springs Police Department.
The registered owner of the plane is listed as International Air Service Inc. Trustee, a company in Nevada, according to Federal Aviation Administration records. A representative of the company declined to speak with a reporter when reached by phone Monday afternoon.
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.
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