Alexander Wurm, the 53-year-old founder of the Cayman Islands-based Ignite the Fire ministry, and his 22-year-old daughter, Serena, were killed when their small Beechcraft King plane crashed into a pond in a residential neighborhood in Florida last month.

Wurm, a private pilot, evangelist, and well-known philanthropist in the Cayman Islands, was at the controls of the plane carrying relief supplies to Montego Bay in the wake of Hurricane Melissa.

The preliminary investigation report by the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board does not specify the exact cause of the accident.

The device recorded muffled sounds of «heavy breathing» coming from the cockpit in response to air traffic control instructions, suggesting a possible medical issue for the pilot, but did not draw any definitive conclusions.

The preliminary report describes how the twin-engine Beechcraft King took off from Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport and climbed to approximately 4,000 feet before entering the clouds and beginning a turn.

The pilot briefly acknowledged a change in course before the communication was cut off.

This document describes in detail how air traffic controllers tried unsuccessfully to contact the cockpit as the plane changed course and began its descent.

The report states: «With no response from the pilot, the air traffic controller transmitted: «Hotel de Golf November Zero, climbing?»”

«At that point, heavy breathing and grunting could be heard, and by then, the plane had descended to about 1,500 feet and was traveling at a speed of about 270 knots.»

Security cameras in the Coral Springs neighborhood captured the final seconds of the flight, as the plane nosedived into a pond surrounded by houses, just seven miles from its takeoff point.

«The cameras captured two images of the plane appearing in the upper left corner, its nose pointing sharply downward, before it struck the water,» the report states.

The plane did not emit any smoke or fumes in any of the recordings, all of which captured the sound of the engines running.

The preliminary findings also document how the aircraft was loaded prior to departure, one of the many factual aspects that investigators typically examine.

According to the report, the plane was carrying relief supplies for hurricane victims, including a generator that was stowed in the rear cargo compartment.

The pilot placed the rest of the cargo on the seats in the cabin and in the footrests.

«The cargo was not weighed; however, the pilot checked the weight indicated on each crate as the aircraft was being loaded, and he completed the loading once he determined that the maximum capacity had been reached.»

The plane was also fully fueled before takeoff. Investigators have not commented on whether the cargo or the weight played a role in the accident.

The report states that the pilot purchased the 1976 Beechcraft aircraft in February 2024 and that, in June of that same year, it underwent a complete renovation of its interior and avionics suite.

Drafting the final report, which typically includes an analysis and conclusions, can take more than a year.

In the Cayman Islands, Wurm is remembered as a a warm and caring man, dedicated to helping others and the spread of the Gospel. Before the fatal accident, he had already delivered food and humanitarian aid to Jamaica aboard the same aircraft.