Pilots radioed for help before Florida crash

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A Rutgers University professor and his teenage son radioed they had lost control of their plane just before it crashed off the Florida coast, killing them both.

The Florida Times-Union reports that a National Transportation Safety Board report released Wednesday shows either Peter Renzulli or his 18-year-old son Daniel radioed “We’re not OK, we need help” after a Jacksonville flight controller noticed their single-engine Piper losing altitude in bad weather on Dec. 20. They had left an Orlando-area airport after a Disney World vacation and were heading home to New Jersey.

The plane descended from 12,000 feet (3,660 metres) to 3,300 feet (1,000 metres) when they radioed they were upside down. Their plane and bodies were recovered Feb. 6 off Jacksonville. Daniel Renzulli was a Michigan State University student.