Two Aircraft Collide in Florida

BOCA RATON, Fla. (AP) â€” Two aircraft collided west of this city Friday, sending one crashing into a housing complex, officials said. <br><br>The fate of the second aircraft, and of the occupants of both,

Friday, June 23rd 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

BOCA RATON, Fla. (AP) â€” Two aircraft collided west of this city Friday, sending one crashing into a housing complex, officials said.

The fate of the second aircraft, and of the occupants of both, wasn't immediately known.

George Prellezo, regional director of the National Transportation Safety Board, said one of the aircraft was a Lear 55, a twin-engine jet that can carry up to 13 people.

The tail number of the jet that crashed into the complex is registered to a Lear 55 owned by Universal Jet Aviation Inc., a Boca Raton company. A woman who answered the phone at the company said: ``We're not making any statements right now.''

The Lear crashed 2 1/2 miles west of Boca Raton Airport shortly before noon, said Kathleen Bergen of the Federal Aviation Administration regional office in Atlanta.

Television reports showed firefighters spraying water on that aircraft, which appeared to have burned when it crashed into the housing complex, possibly damaging at least one building.

Larry Brown, who was driving south on Florida's Turnpike, said that after the initial explosion, the aircraft fell separately. He said he thought one of the aircraft was a helicopter.

Diane Gullo, spokeswoman for the Boca Raton Airport, said the accident occurred at about 11:45 a.m. EDT.