BOCA RATON, Fla. – Seven colleagues from a Boca Raton business were among nine people killed in Tuesday's plane crash in Akron, Ohio.
Real estate investment company Pebb Enterprises posted the following message on its website Wednesday: "Our hearts are broken this morning with the news of the tragic accident that took the lives of two principals and five employees of Pebb Enterprises. We are shocked and deeply saddened for the families, colleagues and friends of those who perished. Our first priority is to give our fullest support to the family members and loved ones of our co-workers."
The National Transportation Safety Board said during a news conference Wednesday that there were seven passengers and two crew members on board.
A family member identified one of the victims to reporters as Diane Smoot, 50, of Delray Beach. Smoot was an executive with the real estate firm that scouts locations for malls and a mother of two adult children, one of whom is serving in the military.
Diana Suriel, Nick Weaver, Ori Rom, Thomas Virgin, Gary Shapiro and Jared Weiner were also passengers aboard the plane, according to friends and family.
Roses and a sympathy card were placed outside the Boca Raton headquarters.
Virgin's wife posted a photo of herself with her husband on her Facebook page with the caption, "I miss you. What I would give to have you back." Virgin leaves behind a wife and 4-month-old baby.
Ohio State Highway Patrol Lt. Bill Haymaker said the small Hawker H25 jet, which can hold up to 10 people, clipped telephone or electrical wires before crashing into a four-family apartment complex.
No one was inside the complex at the time of the crash, and no one on the ground was injured. About 12 families who lived in the apartment complex were displaced.
NTSB vice chair Bella Dinh-Zarr said video shows the plane flying at a low altitude and banking toward the left before it crashed.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration, the plane had taken off from Dayton, Ohio, and was about two miles from Akron Fulton International Airport when it crashed about 3 p.m. Tuesday. The plane first traveled to Minneapolis, Minnesota, from Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport on Monday. From there, the plane flew to Cincinnati, Ohio, where the crew and passengers stayed overnight before heading to Dayton about 10 a.m. Tuesday.
Records show the plane is owned by execuFlight, which is based in Fort Lauderdale. The company was founded in 2000 and has a fleet of seven jets.
The NTSB is investigating the cause of the crash.
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