Learjet Kills Nine After Crashing in Palm Beach County

A Learjet 60 business jet crashed into a neighborhood in Palm Beach County, Florida, on Sunday, killing all nine people on board. The aircraft descended rapidly from an altitude of about 35,000 feet and struck the ground near a major roadway in the city of Greenacres. U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed the deaths and described the event as a horrific tragedy in a post on social media. The Federal Aviation Administration reported the crash occurred at approximately 12:50 p.m. Eastern time. The jet had departed Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas and was heading to North Eleuthera Airport in the Bahamas.

The aircraft was flying east at a high altitude when the pilots began reporting weather-related issues. Air traffic control recordings show the pilots reported turbulence, icing and precipitation and asked to climb 2,000 feet. The pilot reported light, clear ice that was manageable and moderate turbulence. At that time, the outside air temperature was minus 47 degrees Celsius. The jet was bouncing by up to 700 feet in the turbulent air.

After the pilots reported precipitation and asked to climb, the situation changed fast. The pilot radioed: "We're descending 8,000, mayday, mayday, we're descending 10,000 feet per minute." The descent rate went from 10,000 feet per minute to 20,000 and then as high as 30,000 feet per minute, the AP reported. The pilot stated that the aircraft was in an overspeed condition. The AP reported the plane banked sharply to the right before hitting the ground at a steep angle. The FAA said the aircraft fell from 35,250 feet to 8,750 feet in one minute just before the crash.

Witnesses in nearby vehicles captured video of the jet plunging from the sky. The aircraft struck near the roadway and exploded, creating a large crater. Flames surrounded chunks of pavement near homes and passing vehicles. Thick black smoke covered the area. The road buckled where the jet made contact with the ground. Another person who saw the aftermath said it looked like a meteor hit the ground.

Anthony Blackmon, who told NBC 6 he was about 500 feet from the crash, described debris hitting his house. He said everything was on fire, including the road. Another resident, Roger Forcelle, felt the aircraft pass over his home. He said the house shook and the jet crashed probably less than half a mile from where he lives. Andrew Mannino heard and felt the boom and saw a large black cloud rise into the air. He noted that the power went out immediately and is still out.

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

About 600 people in a nearby mobile home community had to leave their homes Sunday night, county officials said. 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. Residents were being sent to two county shelters. The Red Cross was standing by, and Palm Tran buses were ready to carry residents once law enforcement allowed the evacuation.

The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation. The agency launched a go-team to respond to the crash. Investigators were expected to arrive on Sunday and Monday morning. The NTSB planned a media briefing in West Palm Beach on Monday. No cause for the crash has been determined. The FAA is sending a team to the scene to support the NTSB investigation.

Palm Beach County closed Military Trail between 10th Avenue North and Purdy Lane or Alameda Drive until further notice. The road remained open only to emergency vehicles. County officials told drivers to use 10th Avenue North and Purdy Lane or Alameda Drive for east-west travel. They recommended 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. The timeline for reopening depends on the federal investigation.

The jet was registered as N722BD. FAA registry data lists the aircraft as a Learjet 60 owned by LR60271 LLC of Wilmington, Delaware. The jet is listed online as available for charter flights. Officials have not said who operated the flight on Sunday. Jim Reynolds, a spokesperson for Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, said the jet was a private aircraft. He told the Associated Press he could not say who was on the flight.

Scattered storms were in the area when the jet crashed. The aircraft passed through a stronger storm cell a few minutes before it began its rapid descent. The FAA had issued a convective SIGMET for the area, which is a warning of thunderstorms that threaten aircraft. Whether the weather played a part in the crash has not been determined. Heavy rain fell across the region on Sunday. 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. The alert warned that ice can make managing the airplane's flightpath and airspeed more difficult. It can prevent the airplane from maintaining level flight. 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 said 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. Records show the jet was offered for charter flights.

This crash is the deadliest ever involving a Learjet 60, according to Flight Safety Foundation data. In 2008, four people were killed when a Learjet 60 bound for Los Angeles 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, in June killed 12 people. Learjet is the brand that Bill Lear's Lear 23 made famous with wealthy travelers in the 1960s. Canadian manufacturer Bombardier built the most recent Learjets. Bombardier stopped making new Learjets in 2021 but still supports the planes in service.