Learjet Kills Nine After Steep Plunge Into Palm Beach County

A Learjet 60 business jet crashed into a residential neighborhood in Palm Beach County, Florida, on Sunday, killing all nine people aboard. The aircraft, which had departed Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas, was heading to North Eleuthera Airport in the Bahamas when it lost altitude rapidly.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed the fatalities in a post on X, describing the event as a "horrific tragedy." The Federal Aviation Administration stated that the crash occurred at approximately 12:50 p.m. Eastern time. The agency noted that its initial data on the number of occupants was preliminary but confirmed nine individuals were on board.

The jet departed Austin, Texas. Jim Reynolds, a spokesperson for Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, told the Associated Press the jet was a private aircraft. Reynolds said he could not say who was on the flight and called the crash "definitely a tragedy." Officials have not yet released the names of the victims or specified the breakdown between passengers and crew.

The crash site is located near Military Trail, between Cresthaven Boulevard and 10th Avenue North in Greenacres. This area is approximately seven miles southwest of West Palm Beach and four miles south of the local airport, which was renamed President Donald J. Trump International Airport earlier this year. CNN reported that President Donald J. Trump departed from that airport on Air Force One more than an hour before the crash.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis visited the scene and described the incident to reporters. He characterized the event as a "cataclysmic plane crash" that looked like a missile striking the ground. DeSantis noted that the impact left a large crater on the roadside and that no injuries or deaths on the ground had been reported at the time of his news conference.

Witnesses in nearby vehicles recorded video of the jet plunging from the sky and exploding near the roadway. Thick black smoke covered the site, and flames flickered around chunks of pavement that lined the crater. The road surface buckled where the jet made impact. The debris field stretched a long distance from the point of impact.

Anthony Blackmon, a nearby resident who said he was about 500 feet from the crash, said debris hit his house. "Debris was everywhere," Blackmon told NBC 6. "Everything was on fire. The road was on fire." Another neighbor, Roger Forcelle, described feeling the aircraft pass directly over his home. "It shook the whole house," Forcelle said. "Everybody came out of their houses because you could feel it shaking."

Andrew Mannino told CNN that he heard and felt the boom of the impact. He reported that the power immediately went out and smelled smoke rising from the area. A woman working nearby said the electricity remained out for about two hours. One witness described the aftermath as looking like a meteor had hit the ground.

Palm Beach County Commissioner Joel Flores was the first county official on the scene. He stated that about 600 people in a nearby mobile home community had to leave their homes Sunday night because the crash scene blocks the park entrance. County officials said the scene is being treated as a crime scene while federal investigators work. No official has alleged that a crime took place. Flores said residents were being sent to two county shelters with the Red Cross standing by. County officials said Palm Tran buses were ready to carry residents once law enforcement allowed the evacuation.

County officials closed Military Trail between 10th Avenue North and Purdy Lane/Alameda Drive to all traffic except emergency vehicles. Drivers were directed to use 10th Avenue North and Purdy Lane/Alameda Drive for east-west travel and Haverhill Road and Kirk Road for north-south travel. A county commissioner warned that parts of the road could stay closed for an extended time because of the crater, and officials said the timeline also depends on the federal investigation.

Air traffic control recordings indicate the jet was flying east at 35,000 feet when the pilots reported turbulence, icing, and precipitation. They requested a climb of 2,000 feet. Minutes before the crash, the pilot told the Miami Air Route Traffic Control Center that the ice was light and manageable and the turbulence was moderate. The pilot also reported an outside air temperature of minus 47 degrees Celsius.

The situation changed rapidly after the pilots reported precipitation. The pilot radioed, "We're descending 8,000, mayday, mayday, we're descending 10,000 feet per minute." The pilot then reported an overspeed condition with a descent rate of 20,000 feet per minute. The pilot stated, "We're going to crash into the ground." CBS News reported the pilot also said, "We're out of time."

The AP reported the descent rate went as high as 30,000 feet per minute, pushing the jet beyond its design limits. The plane banked sharply to the right before hitting the ground at a steep angle. The FAA said the jet fell from 35,250 feet to 8,750 feet in one minute. Flight tracking site ADS-B Exchange showed a drop of 27,000 feet in about a minute before the data cut off.

Scattered storms were in the area, and the jet passed through a stronger storm cell a few minutes before it began to descend, CNN reported. The FAA had issued a convective SIGMET warning of thunderstorms in the region. Heavy rain fell across the area on Sunday, and the National Weather Service had a flood watch in effect through Monday afternoon. In January 2024, the NTSB issued a safety alert warning that in-flight icing can make managing the airplane's flightpath and airspeed more difficult.