CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. (BN24) — A Christian ministry leader and his daughter have been identified as those killed Monday morning when their private plane crashed into a pond in a Coral Springs neighborhood while en route to Jamaica for hurricane relief work.
Officials identified the victims as Alexander Wurm, 53, the CEO of the evangelical organization Ignite the Fire, and his 22-year-old daughter, Serena. Wurm was piloting a Beechcraft King Air when the aircraft nose-dived into a small lake shortly after taking off from Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport.
Video footage showed the twin-engine plane plummeting from the sky before smashing into the water behind a row of homes. The impact scattered debris across the lake’s surface.
Ignite the Fire said the pair was traveling to Montego Bay, Jamaica, to deliver supplies to victims of Hurricane Melissa. The ministry said Wurm was committed to “empowering youth through missions and evangelism across the Caribbean” and described the trip as “a final act of selflessness and courage.”
“Together, their final journey embodied service and love,” the ministry said in a statement.
A witness told ABC6 that it appeared Wurm realized the aircraft was in distress and attempted to steer toward the water to avoid nearby homes. “I think that the pilot knew he wasn’t going to make a safe landing and made a choice to try and make it into that lake,” the witness said.
Wurm, who frequently flew aid missions to the Caribbean, had just completed a relief delivery to Jamaica on November 4, according to Ignite the Fire. The ministry said he had traveled extensively to assist communities affected by natural disasters.
“His legacy of faith and compassion touched countless lives,” the organization wrote in a Facebook post.
The group said Serena shared her father’s dedication to humanitarian service, describing her as “a beacon of empathy and hope” who had joined her father on previous mission trips.
In a recent post, the charity Crisis International praised Wurm for flying emergency supplies, including solar panels, tarps, and a Starlink unit, to Jamaica following the hurricane.
“Alexander Wurm was absolutely amazing in the wake of Hurricane Melissa,” said Sean Malone, the charity’s founder. “We were waiting for him to arrive again, and then we found out he crashed his aircraft in Coral Springs. He and his daughter did not survive.”
Malone said smaller ministries often depend on pilots like Wurm to reach isolated areas after major storms. “We are in absolute shock and disbelief,” he said, asking for prayers for the Wurm family and their ministry community.
Federal authorities are investigating the cause of the crash.
