Officials have released the names of the three people who were killed when a Cessna 310R went down near Boca Raton Airport on Friday morning, bursting into flames and hitting a vehicle driving by. Brooke Stark, 17, her pilot father Stephen Stark, 54, and her grandfather Robert Stark, 81, a fellow aviation enthusiast — all from Palm Beach County died in the crash.
The twin-engine Cessna had taken off from Boca Raton just before 10 a.m. for a planned flight to Tallahassee, according to the Boca Raton Police Services Department. However, shortly after takeoff, the plane began to experience mechanical issues, prompting the pilot to try and make an emergency landing.
Three Generations Killed
At around 10:17 a.m., the aircraft veered off its intended path and was unable to make it back to the runway. It went down on North Military Trail near the Glades Road overpass, crashing into a 2017 Toyota Prius and erupting into a massive fireball.
The vehicle's driver, 24-year-old Pablo Tafur, was taken to the hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening after losing control and hitting a tree from the force of the impact.
Aerial footage captured the wreckage fully engulfed in flames, with thick plumes of smoke rising as emergency crews worked to put out the blaze.
Two bodies were spotted within the charred debris before authorities confirmed that all three people on board the plane had died. The Boca Raton Police Department later verified that both Robert and Stephen Stark were certified pilots.
Robert had held a private pilot certificate since 2018, with ratings for single-engine land and sea aircraft, along with multi-engine and instrument endorsements.
Stephen earned his private pilot license in 2011 and was qualified to fly both single-engine and multi-engine planes. It has not yet been determined which of them was flying the aircraft at the time of the crash.
Fatal Flight
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are currently investigating what caused the accident, with a preliminary report expected in the coming weeks.
Boca Raton Mayor Scott Singer issued a statement offering condolences: "We are deeply saddened to confirm that a plane crash occurred earlier today in our community.
"At this time, details are still emerging, and we are working closely with emergency responders and authorities. Our thoughts are with all those affected by this tragic event."
Witnesses in the vicinity described the crash as deafening and intense, with one person commenting on social media, "Shook the whole building. Unfortunately I'm certain lives were lost here today."
Another witness, Lorenzo Echeverria, shared that he saw a low-flying propeller plane acting erratically on the flight tracking site Flightradar24 shortly before the crash.
As of Saturday, police confirmed that road closures remain in effect in the area of the crash as investigators continue their work.
The incident has drawn parallels to other recent aviation tragedies, such as a fatal helicopter crash in New York City that took the lives of a Spanish family the day before.
Agustín Escobar, a Siemens executive from Spain, along with his wife Merce Camprubi Montal, and their two young daughters, ages four and five, as well as their 11-year-old son, died when their sightseeing helicopter plunged into the Hudson River on Thursday.
