Small plane crashed into Broward home, killing 2. Experienced pilot, student were on board

Both of the men who died in a plane crash late Monday morning Broward had experience piloting aircraft.

The single-engine Aero Adventure Aventura II crashed into a Miramar residence at around 11:40 a.m. Monday, according to Miramar police. The house, in the 2200 block of Jamaica Drive, is about a half-mile from the southern edge of North Perry Airport in Pembroke Pines, where the plane departed.

READ MORE: Several planes have crashed into this Broward area the past 2 years. What happened?

Antony Roland Yen and Jordan Travis Hall died in the crash, and both were listed on a Federal Aviation Administration notice as a flight crew member and a passenger. The aircraft also was catalogued for personal use, meaning it could only provide non-commercial flights.

It’s currently unknown who was operating the plane.

The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board are looking into the crash. An NTSB investigator was on the scene on Tuesday and began the process of examining the aircraft, an agency spokesperson said. The investigator will request radar data, weather information and maintenance records in addition to the pilot’s medical records.

The NTSB hasn’t stated a cause for the crash, but the preliminary report, which will include all information gathered about the accident, should be published by Nov. 1. Investigations involving deaths, a spokesperson said, can take anywhere from a year to two years to complete.

Antony Roland Yen

Yen, 34, owned Straight and Level Seaplanes, a company that offered instruction for existing pilots as well as tours from 10 minutes up to two hours.

In 2018, Yen was officially an FAA-certified commercial pilot. Three years later, he became a licensed flight instructor.

Yen lived in Eustis, a city an hour northwest of Orlando. He started his career as a pilot in Florida offering tours for Jones Brothers Air & Seaplane Adventures. He later worked for Kenmore Air Harbor in Seattle and Alaska Seaplanes.

After graduating with a major in aviation science in 2012, he opted to work in the construction industry in Seattle. But in 2018, he rediscovered his passion for aviation.

While COVID-19 ravaged the U.S. in 2020, Yen took a gamble and purchased a seaplane of his own. He started Straight and Level Seaplanes the following year.

“I love being a tour guide and getting 20 minutes to entertain complete strangers,” Yen wrote in his LinkedIn profile. “I get to say my cheesy jokes, and take people on some beautiful seaplane flying.”

In a Facebook post, Yen shared that he had trained 34 pilots this year.

Yen amassed a sizable social media audience because of his in-flight vlogs. His YouTube channel boasted 2,800 subscribers; his top video amassed half a million views.

Most of the videos he shared showed scenic views from the air and behind-the-scenes looks at life as a pilot.

Other videos were more lighthearted. In April, Yen shared a video of his friend wakeboarding while attached to a plane, detaching a small piece of the aircraft.

“Well I only broke a 2 dollar little part. Almost no big deal,” Yen wrote on his Facebook. “Don’t worry it is all fixed now.”

In June, Yen was aboard a plane with a student when the engine failed at 600 feet. He took control and landed in a cornfield, narrating what he did in a voice-over.

“Not the smoothest landing, but no damage to people or property, so it’s good enough for me,” Yen said in the video. “Fly safe out there guys. I hope to never make content like this ever again.”

Jordan Travis Hall

Hall was a student pilot since 2020, according to FAA records. Student pilots are prohibited from carrying passengers, piloting for compensation and flying internationally.

In April, the 32-year-old West Park resident opened Aero Jordan, a plane dealership with a showroom in North Perry Airport, which sold Aventura seaplanes. His Instagram also shows he offered flight tours in South Florida.

The plane that crashed into the Miramar home was an Aero Adventure Aventura II, a model Hall sold. His website has a similar plane listed for $169,000.

“We are going to put this seaplane on the map,” he wrote on Facebook. “It’s a lifestyle thing!”

Hall also ran a YouTube channel, where he had posted a few videos about flying seaplanes and running his dealership.

In 2019, he shared clips of a flight from Fort Lauderdale to South Beach, which he called his “first flight to become a pilot.” He even flew his mother to the Bahamas on a Cessna 172 for Mother’s Day.

“Have you ever flown to the Bahamas before and came back in the same day and then pulled up to get your favorite hamburger?” Hall said as he and his mother walked into a Fuddruckers. “I think you did today.”