Nine killed in Learjet crash in Palm Beach County

A Learjet 60 business jet slammed into a residential area in Palm Beach County, Florida, on Sunday, killing all nine people on board. The aircraft, which had departed Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas for the Bahamas, exploded near a busy road in the city of Greenacres. U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy described the incident as a horrific tragedy in a post on X. He confirmed that the Federal Aviation Administration is sending a team to support the National Transportation Safety Board, which is leading the investigation.

The crash occurred at approximately 12:50 p.m. Eastern time. Air traffic control recordings show the pilots reported turbulence, icing, and precipitation minutes before the disaster. The pilot asked for a climb of 2,000 feet and reported light, clear ice that was manageable. However, the situation changed fast after the pilots reported precipitation and asked to climb. The pilot radioed a mayday call, stating the aircraft was descending 10,000 feet per minute and then 20,000 feet per minute.

The FAA said the jet fell from 35,250 feet to 8,750 feet in one minute just before the crash. The descent rate reached as high as 30,000 feet per minute, pushing the plane beyond its design limits. The aircraft banked sharply to the right before striking the ground at a steep angle. The pilot warned, We're going to crash into the ground. CBS News reported the pilot also said, We're out of time. Flight tracking site ADS-B Exchange showed a drop of 27,000 feet in about a minute before the data cut off, CNN reported.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis visited the scene and described the impact to reporters. He said the jet looked like a missile going down and left a big crater on the side of the road. DeSantis stated that no one on the ground was reported killed or injured at the time of his news conference. He praised Palm Beach County first responders for their quick action. The crash site is located near Military Trail, between Cresthaven Boulevard and 10th Avenue North. The site is about four miles south of the airport in West Palm Beach, which was renamed President Donald J. Trump International Airport earlier this year.

Residents nearby described the moment the jet fell. Anthony Blackmon, who was about 500 feet from the crash, told NBC 6 that debris hit his house and the road was on fire. He noted that he had always seen such events on the news but never expected one so close to home. Roger Forcelle said the aircraft passed over his home, shaking the structure and causing everyone in the neighborhood to come outside. Andrew Mannino heard and felt the boom, and the power immediately went out. He smelled smoke and saw a large black cloud rise into the air.

Video from nearby cars captured the jet plunging from the sky and exploding near the roadway. Flames flickered around chunks of pavement lining the crater, which was inches from passing vehicles. Thick black smoke covered the site, and the road buckled where the jet impacted. A woman working nearby reported that the electricity had been out for about two hours. The scene was being treated as a crime scene while federal investigators work, county officials said. No official has alleged that a crime took place.

About 600 residents in a nearby mobile home community had to leave their homes on Sunday night. County officials said residents had to leave because the crash scene blocks the park entrance. Palm Beach County Commissioner Joel Flores, who was the first county official at the scene, said residents were being sent to two county shelters. He stated, So we have about 600 people that we have to make sure that they have shelter tonight. The Red Cross stood by, and Palm Tran buses were ready to transport residents once law enforcement allowed the evacuation.

Palm Beach County closed Military Trail between 10th Avenue North and Purdy Lane/Alameda Drive until further notice. The road remained open only to emergency vehicles. Drivers were told 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 due to the crater and the ongoing federal investigation.

Scattered storms were in the area when the jet crashed. The FAA had issued a convective SIGMET, a warning of thunderstorms that threaten aircraft, in the region. Whether the weather played a part in the crash has not been determined. Heavy rain fell across the region 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 on in-flight icing, noting that ice can make managing the airplane's flightpath and airspeed more difficult.

Mary Schiavo, a CNN aviation analyst and former inspector general of the U.S. Transportation Department, said dashcam video will be important to investigators. She stated, That is not a controlled descent. So at that point, it's clear whatever happened, they had lost control of the plane. Schiavo noted that the steep dive could have torn parts off the plane and that a flight recorder could have been destroyed in the explosion. It is not known whether the jet carried a cockpit voice recorder. FAA rules require multi-engine jets to carry one only when they are flown for hire, and records show this jet was offered for charter flights.

The jet is identified by its registration, N722BD. The FAA registry lists it as a Learjet 60 owned by LR60271 LLC of Wilmington, Delaware. CNN reported that the jet is listed online as available for charter. Officials have not said who operated Sunday's flight. Jim Reynolds, a spokesperson for Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, told the Associated Press the jet was a private aircraft and could not say who was on the flight. He called the event definitely a tragedy.

This is the deadliest crash ever involving a Learjet 60, according to Flight Safety Foundation data cited by CNN. In 2008, four people were killed when a Learjet 60 bound for Los Angeles crashed on takeoff in Columbia, South Carolina. NTSB records show it is the second deadliest crash in the United States this year, after a skydiving plane crash in Butler, Missouri, in June that killed 12. Learjet was most recently built by Canadian manufacturer Bombardier, which stopped making new Learjets in 2021 but still supports the planes in service. The NTSB planned a media briefing in West Palm Beach on Monday.