Plane that killed 4-year-old boy was having engine trouble before takeoff, witnesses say South Florida Sun Sentinel (FL) A plane seemed to be having engine problems but took off anyway on the day it crashed, killing a 4-year-old boy riding inside an SUV as well as the two men aboard the aircraft, according to a federal report released Tuesday. A witness at Pembroke Pines, heard the engine sputter and backfire on March 15, according to a preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board. Another witness, a certified pilot, saw the plane climb slowly after takeoff, then watched the plane stall in mid-air, spin and begin to rapidly descend, with its nose aimed at the ground, the report said.