Officials probe why private jet crashed onto Florida highway and killed two

Smoke after a plane crashed on Interstate 75, Florida (Chris O’Conner via AP)

Federal authorities have launched an investigation to determine why a private jet tried to make an emergency landing on a Florida highway, colliding with a vehicle and sparking a fiery crash that left two people dead.

The Federal Aviation Administration said the Bombardier Challenger 600 jet had five people aboard when the crash happened at around 3.15pm on Friday near Naples, just north of where the interstate heads east toward Fort Lauderdale along what is known as Alligator Alley.