An official U.S. aviation report into the fatal crash of a missionary flight bound for hurricane-hit Jamaica says the pilot’s final radio transmission included “heavy breathing” and “grunting,” followed by silence moments before the aircraft plunged into a residential area in Florida, killing an evangelist and his adult daughter.
Alexander Wurm, 53, founder and chief executive officer of Ignite the Fire Ministry (Cayman), and his daughter Serena, 22, were killed when the Beech King Air B100 he was piloting crashed in Coral Springs, Florida, on Nov. 10. A preliminary report released by the National Transportation Safety Board said the non-commercial flight was carrying humanitarian aid to Jamaica following Hurricane Melissa, which devastated parts of the island in late October, as reported by Christian Daily International.
“It was to be a round-trip flight, departing from Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport (FXE), Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and returning the same day,” confirmed the report.
A local church group arrived at the airplane on the ramp at Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport at 9:13 a.m. that day. Supplies loaded onto the aircraft included a generator and multiple boxes of tarpaulins, electric tools, screws, and flashlights.
Wurm had loaded 200lbs of equipment behind the pilot’s seat and the rest of the group passed the rest of the aid supply cargo through the rear door so the evangelist could arrange it in the cabin.
“The generator (which did not contain fuel) was loaded in the aft baggage compartment and secured to the airframe with webbing,” noted the report. “The remaining cargo was placed by the pilot on the cabin seats and their footwells. The cargo was not weighed; however, the pilot checked the weight documented on each box as the airplane was loaded, and he finished the loading process once he determined that capacity had been reached.”
The group put aside leftover cargo for another aid flight. The airplane’s remaining capacity was then “filled to capacity” with 282 gallons of Jet-A fuel.
The airplane then left the runway at 10:14 a.m. and during the three-and-a-half minute takeoff and climb it turned right towards the northwest at an average climb rate of about 1,000 feet per minute (FPM).
At first, the aircraft climbed rapidly from takeoff with a varying rate of ascent, reaching a maximum of 2,800 FPM, until Wurm stabilized the plane in level flight at an altitude of 4,000 feet MSL [feet above mean sea level].
Air traffic control told the missionary pilot to take a right turn at a 120-degree angle and Wurm acknowledged the instruction. The airplane turned right at 150 knots and 25 seconds later the heading had been amended to a 90-degree turn —again, acknowledged by the pilot —and the airplane accelerated to 200 knots by the time it reached the 90-degree mark.
Then it started to descend and the controller told Wurm to continue to the 120-degree heading but the airplane at this point had already descended to 3,100 feet.
“With no response from the pilot, the controller transmitted, ‘November zero hotel golf, climbing?’ noted the report. “Heavy breathing and ‘grunting’ sounds could then be heard, and by that time the airplane had descended to about 1,500 feet and reached an airspeed of about 270 knots.”
Satellite surveillance technology [ADS-B] picked up the last recorded target of the airplane 200 feet west and 350 feet above the impact location.
Security cameras on the ground captured the final tragic seconds of the flight, located 250 feet south of the accident site and facing north toward a small pond surrounded by houses in a residential neighborhood.
“The cameras captured two frames of the airplane coming into view in the top left, in a steep nose-down attitude, before striking the water. Another set of cameras, located about 400 feet east of the accident site and facing northwest, did not capture the impact but captured the airplane as it approached from the west. Both showed the airplane emerging from clouds and passing right to left in a nose-down attitude before striking the pond about three seconds later.”
The report noted the airplane struck the western shore of the pond in a “right-wing-low, 45-degree nose-down attitude.” No trailing smoke or vapor was noticed in recordings although the aircraft had been in some clouds while airborne until it descended.
“The airplane was heavily fragmented on impact, with the largest recovered component being the empennage which included the vertical stabilizer/rudder assembly along with fragments of the horizontal stabilizer,” stated the report. “The remaining recovered components were comprised of fragmented wing and fuselage segments and sections of both engines and propeller assemblies, all of which were retained for further examination.”
Furthermore, the report noted that Wurm bought the airplane in February 2024, and in June of that year, it underwent a “complete interior furnishings and avionics suite upgrade.”
“Their final moments reflected exactly how they lived, serving others with courage, compassion, and unwavering faith,” stated a moving tribute on the Ignite the Fire Ministry (Cayman) website. The ministry founded by Wurm equips and mobilises young people in the Caribbean through missions, evangelism and practical outreach.
“Alex travelled throughout the Caribbean and beyond, dedicating his life to sharing the gospel, strengthening local churches, and bringing hope to those in need. He was a man of deep prayer, humility, and extraordinary generosity. Whether as a husband, father, minister, counsellor, or friend, he carried a grace and wisdom that touched countless lives.
“Serena shared her father’s heart. She was compassionate, thoughtful, and committed to helping others. She was already stepping into ministry and service, following the example she witnessed at home every day. Their final mission, bringing aid to those in need, was a true reflection of who they both were.”
Wurm leaves behind his wife Candace, and their children James (17) and Christiana (20), as well as a "far reaching community of friends, youths, and leaders shaped by his ministry."
