Nine people on a private jet died after it crashed into a Florida neighborhood

A private business jet crashed into a residential neighborhood in Palm Beach County, Florida, on Sunday, killing all nine people on board. The accident occurred near Military Trail, forcing about 600 residents to leave their homes. The Federal Aviation Administration said the crash happened at about 12:50 p.m. Eastern time.

The aircraft, a Learjet 60, was traveling from Austin, Texas, to North Eleuthera in the Bahamas. Flight tracking data indicates the jet lost 27,000 feet in altitude in roughly one minute before impact. The plane hit the ground near a busy road, creating a large crater and scattering debris across the area.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy described the incident as a horrific tragedy in a post on social media. He stated that the FAA is sending a team to support the National Transportation Safety Board investigation. The NTSB launched a go-team on Sunday and planned a media briefing in West Palm Beach for Monday. No cause for the crash has been determined yet.

Officials have not released the names of the nine victims or identified how many were passengers versus crew. Jim Reynolds, a spokesperson for Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, confirmed the aircraft was private. He described the event as a definite tragedy but noted he could not provide details on the individuals aboard the flight.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis visited the crash site and described the scene to reporters. He said the jet looked like a missile coming down and left a big crater on the side of the road. DeSantis stated there were no reports of ground casualties at the time of his news conference. He praised local first responders for their quick action.

The crash site is in Greenacres, a city of about 45,000 people located roughly seven miles southwest of West Palm Beach. The area is also four miles south of the local airport, which was renamed earlier this year. President Donald Trump was in West Palm Beach earlier that Sunday. CNN reported he left the airport on Air Force One a little more than an hour before the crash.

Residents in nearby cars captured video of the jet descending rapidly. The footage shows the aircraft striking near the roadway and exploding. Flames surrounded chunks of pavement near the crater, which was feet from homes. Thick black smoke covered the site, and the road buckled where the jet made contact.

Anthony Blackmon, a resident about 500 feet from the crash, said debris hit his house and everything caught fire. He expressed shock at the proximity of the accident to his home. Roger Forcelle reported feeling the aircraft pass over his house, shaking the entire structure. He said the crash was less than half a mile from where he lives.

Andrew Mannino said he heard and felt the boom from the impact. The power went out immediately and was still out. He smelled smoke and saw a large black cloud rise into the air. Another witness described the aftermath as looking like a meteor had hit the ground.

About 600 people in a nearby mobile home community were forced to leave their homes on Sunday night. County officials said the crash scene blocks the entrance to the park and is being treated as a crime scene while federal investigators work. No official has alleged that a crime took place. Palm Beach County Commissioner Joel Flores said residents were being sent to two county shelters. The Red Cross is standing by, and Palm Tran buses are ready to transport residents once law enforcement clears the evacuation.

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

Air traffic control recordings show the pilots reported turbulence, icing, and precipitation while flying east at 35,000 feet. They requested to climb 2,000 feet. The pilot reported light, clear ice that was manageable and moderate turbulence. The outside air temperature was minus 47 degrees Celsius, and turbulence was bouncing the jet by up to 700 feet.

The situation deteriorated quickly after the pilots reported precipitation. The pilot radioed that they were descending 8,000, then 10,000 feet per minute. They declared a mayday and reported an overspeed condition descending 20,000 feet per minute. The pilot stated they were going to crash into the ground. CBS News reported the pilot also said they were out of time.

The descent rate went as high as 30,000 feet per minute, pushing the jet beyond its design limits, the AP reported. 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, CNN reported.

Scattered storms were in the area, and the jet passed through a stronger storm cell before descending. 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. Whether the weather played a part in the crash has not been determined.

Mary Schiavo, a former Transportation Department inspector general, said dashcam video will be important for investigators. She noted that the descent was not controlled, indicating the pilots had lost control of the plane. The steep dive may have torn parts off the aircraft. It is not known if the jet carried a cockpit voice recorder, as FAA rules only require it for multi-engine jets flown for hire. The jet is registered to LR60271 LLC of Wilmington, Delaware, and is listed online as available for charter.

According to Flight Safety Foundation data, this is the deadliest crash ever involving a Learjet 60. In 2008, four people died when a Learjet 60 crashed on takeoff in Columbia, South Carolina. NTSB records show this is the second deadliest crash in the United States this year. A skydiving plane crash in Butler, Missouri, killed 12 people in June. The Learjet brand, made famous in the 1960s, was most recently built by Bombardier, which stopped making new Learjets in 2021 but still supports the planes in service.