Cayman Missionary And Daughter Die In Florida Plane Crash (Worthy News In-Depth)

by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Chief International Correspondent

FORT LAUDERDALE/GEORGE TOWN (Worthy News) – A Christian mission group has confirmed that its CEO and his daughter were killed when their small plane carrying humanitarian aid for hurricane-hit Jamaica crashed in a South Florida neighborhood, Worthy News established on Wednesday.

Alexander Wurm, a 53-year-old evangelist who founded Ignite the Fire Ministry Cayman, and his daughter Serena, 22, both died as their turboprop aircraft came down Monday shortly after taking off from Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport in the United States at 10:14 a.m. local time, authorities said.

The Beechcraft King Air B100 plane they were flying crashed into a pond in a residential area of the Fort Lauderdale suburb of Coral Springs, narrowly missing homes and killing the two missionaries, investigators added.

Police and fire rescue teams arrived at the site of the November 10 crash within five minutes, and no more victims were reported by Wednesday, according to officials and other sources.

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) records showed the plane was manufactured in 1976. Its registered owner was still listed as International Air Services, a firm specializing in providing “trust agreements” to non-U.S. citizens that enable them to register their aircraft with the FAA.

PLANE USED FOR CARIBBEAN MISSION WORK

The U.S.-based company has declined to comment.

Messages by Alexander Wurm on social media suggested the evangelist had recently acquired the plane to further his missionary work across the Caribbean, describing the aircraft as “an older King Air with brand new engines” and “perfect” for ferrying deliveries of generators, batteries, and building materials to Jamaica.

“I’ve been a pilot since 2005, and I felt that the Ignite ministry should have a missions airplane if it wanted to effectively bless the Caribbean!” Wurm wrote in a social media post on November 2. “Perfect for the mission to bring relief goods into Montego Bay, and the plane is ready just in time!” he added.

Wurm founded Ignite the Fire Ministry Cayman, “dedicated to empowering youth through missions and evangelism across the Caribbean,” according to its website.

He was “known for his warmth and unwavering kindness, devoted his life to serving others—both through his actions and by sharing the Gospel of Jesus across the globe,” Ignite the Fire stressed in a statement. Throughout his life, he “traveled extensively, reaching various countries and continents, where he tirelessly worked to bring faith, compassion, and support to those in need. His legacy of faith and compassion touched countless lives,” the group added.

HUMANITARIAN RELIEF AND FAITH

Providing humanitarian relief became an essential part of that vision. In recent weeks, Wurm had helped deliver medical supplies, water filters, and Starlink satellite internet equipment to Jamaica for the relief organization Crisis Response International, according to a video statement.

“What I can tell you about Alex is that he had a huge vision for the people of the Caribbean nations. And when this hurricane happened, he didn’t hesitate. He sprung into action and did what he could,” Crisis Response International founder Sean Malone said. “He really made a difference in the lives of the people on the ground by getting the resources that he did. He saved lives and he gave his life,” Malone added.

Photos and videos on social media show Wurm posing for a picture in his mission plane’s cockpit and unloading boxes of supplies from the packed aircraft with teams of volunteers. There were also pictures of him and his daughter, Serena.

The flight-tracking website FlightAware shows the plane made four other trips to or from Jamaica in the past week, traveling between George Town, the capital of the Cayman Islands, and Montego Bay and Negril in Jamaica, before landing in Fort Lauderdale on Friday.

As police and federal transportation officials began investigating the crash, the Cayman Islands, a self-governing British Overseas Territory in the western Caribbean where he was based, plunged into mourning.

“SELFLESS MISSIONARY” REMEMBERED

He was remembered there as a “selfless missionary” who had been preaching the Gospel and more recently shuttling aid to victims of Hurricane Melissa before his plane plummeted from the sky on Monday.

Cayman Islands Premier André Ebanks said, “We are all shocked and dismayed by the unexpected, tragic loss of the father and daughter. He described Wurm to local media as having made a “remarkable contribution to the Cayman Islands community,” for which he expected Wurm would always be remembered.

Health Minister Katherine Ebanks-Wilks agreed, writing on social media: “Evangelist Alexander Wurm came to our country with a mission to ignite a fire, and he certainly succeeded! I truly appreciated the kind of pastor he was. He would often reach out to me, asking what he could pray for, and he consistently offered encouragement.”

She added that “His willingness to help made him a true example of a servant evangelist. I pray that the fire he sparked here in Cayman will continue to burn bright and that his legacy will endure. My deepest condolences to his lovely wife, children, and church family.”

Other Cayman residents shared those sentiments. James

LEGACY OF FAITH AND FAMILY

Whittaker, founder and CEO of GreenTech Solar, who had communicated with Wurm recently about sourcing portable solar panels and Starlink communications systems, said he would miss him. I had gotten to know Alex over the last few years after he moved to Cayman,” he said.

“You would be hard-pressed to find a more genuine or caring individual, and he quickly became part of the fabric of the island. I’m heartbroken for him, his daughter, and their entire family. They will be missed.”

Ignite the Fire described the Wurm family as passionate about humanitarian work and their Christian faith. “Together, their final journey embodied selflessness and courage, reminding us of the power of service and love,” the statement reads, adding, “Rest in peace, Alexander and Serena — your light endures in all whose lives you changed.”

Alex Wurm “leaves behind his beautiful wife, Candace, and two children, son James, 17, and daughter Christiana, 20,” Ignite the Fire added.

Funeral arrangements were not immediately announced.

(With original Worthy News reporting and reports from the Cayman Islands).

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