Nine Dead After Learjet Dives From 35,000 Feet to Palm Beach County Road

A Learjet 60 business jet crashed near a busy road in Palm Beach County, Florida, on Sunday afternoon, killing all nine people on board. U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed the fatalities and described the incident as a horrific tragedy in a post on X. The Federal Aviation Administration stated the jet crashed at approximately 12:50 p.m. Eastern time. The aircraft had departed Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas and was scheduled to land at North Eleuthera Airport in the Bahamas.

Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office officials identified the crash site as Greenacres, a city of roughly 45,000 residents located seven miles southwest of West Palm Beach. The jet struck the ground near Military Trail, between Cresthaven Boulevard and 10th Avenue North. The site is approximately four miles south of the local airport, which was renamed President Donald J. Trump International Airport earlier this year. CNN reported that President Trump departed the airport on Air Force One more than an hour before the crash.

Air traffic control recordings indicate the jet was flying east at about 35,000 feet when the pilots reported turbulence, icing, and precipitation. The pilot requested a climb of 2,000 feet. Minutes before the crash, the pilot told the Miami Air Route Traffic Control Center that the aircraft was experiencing light, clear ice and moderate turbulence. The outside air temperature was reported as minus 47 degrees Celsius. The turbulence was causing the jet to bounce by as much as 700 feet, according to the recording.

The situation deteriorated rapidly after the request to climb. The pilot radioed, "We're descending 8,000, mayday, mayday." The descent rate quickly increased to 10,000 feet per minute, and the pilot reported an overspeed condition at 20,000 feet per minute. The pilot stated the aircraft was going to crash into the ground. CBS News reported the pilot also said, "We're out of time." The descent rate peaked at 30,000 feet per minute, pushing the jet beyond its design limits. The plane banked sharply to the right before impacting the ground at a steep angle.

The FAA data shows the jet fell from 35,250 feet to 8,750 feet in one minute prior to the crash. Flight tracking site ADS-B Exchange recorded a drop of 27,000 feet in about a minute before the signal was lost. CNN reported the jet passed through a stronger storm cell shortly before the descent began. The FAA had issued a convective SIGMET for the area, warning of thunderstorms that threaten aircraft. Whether the weather contributed to the crash has not been determined.

National Transportation Safety Board officials said they were launching a go-team and that investigators were expected to arrive Sunday and Monday morning. The NTSB plans a media briefing in West Palm Beach on Monday. No cause for the crash has been determined. Transportation Secretary Duffy said the FAA is sending a team to support the investigation. He asked the public to join in prayer for the families and loved ones of those lost.

Officials have not released the names of the nine victims or specified how many were passengers and how many were crew. 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 described the event as a definite tragedy. The jet is registered as N722BD. FAA registry data lists it as a Learjet 60 owned by LR60271 LLC of Wilmington, Delaware. CNN reported the jet is listed online as available for charter flights. Officials have not stated who operated the flight on Sunday.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis visited the crash scene and told reporters the incident looked like a missile going down. He noted the jet left a big crater on the side of the road. DeSantis said there were no reports at the time of his news conference of anyone on the ground being killed or injured. He praised Palm Beach County first responders for their quick response and noted the debris field stretched a long distance.

Video recorded by nearby drivers captured the jet plunging from the sky and exploding near the roadway. Flames flickered around chunks of pavement lining the crater, which was located feet from homes and inches from passing vehicles. Thick black smoke covered the site. WPBF video showed the road buckled where the jet struck. A nearby resident, Anthony Blackmon, said he was about 500 feet from the crash and that debris hit his house. He stated everything was on fire, including the road.

Another resident, Roger Forcelle, said he felt the aircraft pass over his home and that it shook the whole house. He estimated the crash occurred less than half a mile from where he lives. Andrew Mannino told CNN he heard and felt the boom and that the power immediately went out. He smelled smoke and saw a large black cloud rise into the air. A woman working nearby said the electricity had been out for about two hours. One witness described the aftermath as looking like a meteor hit the ground.

About 600 people in a nearby mobile home community were required to leave their homes Sunday night. County officials stated the crash scene blocks the entrance to the mobile home 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, who represents District 3, said residents were being sent to two county shelters. He noted the Red Cross was standing 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 remains open only to emergency vehicles. The county directed drivers 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. Officials said the timeline also depends on the federal investigation.

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 noted that the descent was not controlled, indicating the pilots had lost control of the plane. She suggested the steep dive could have torn parts off the aircraft 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 flown for hire. Records show the jet was offered for charter flights.

Flight Safety Foundation data cited by CNN indicates 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, following a skydiving plane crash in Butler, Missouri, in June that killed 12. Learjet, the brand that Bill Lear's Lear 23 made famous with wealthy travelers in the 1960s, was most recently built by Canadian manufacturer Bombardier. The company stopped making new Learjets in 2021 but still supports the planes in service.