Nine Killed as Private Jet Falls 27,000 Feet in Palm Beach County

All nine people aboard a private Learjet 60 died on Sunday, November 1, when the aircraft plunged from the sky and struck a residential area in Palm Beach County, Florida. U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed the fatalities after the jet exploded near Military Trail. The Federal Aviation Administration stated the accident occurred at approximately 12:50 p.m. Eastern time.

The jet had departed Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas with a destination of North Eleuthera Airport in the Bahamas. FAA data indicates nine individuals were on board, a figure the agency described as preliminary. No names of the passengers or crew have been released, and officials have not yet specified the ratio of passengers to crew members.

The descent began after the pilots reported encountering turbulence, icing, and precipitation while flying east at 35,000 feet. Air traffic control recordings show the pilot asking to climb 2,000 feet. Minutes later, the situation deteriorated rapidly as the jet entered a steep dive.

The pilot radioed the Miami Air Route Traffic Control Center, announcing a descent of 8,000 and calling a mayday. The descent rate escalated to 10,000, then 20,000, and finally 30,000 feet per minute. The pilot stated the aircraft was in an overspeed condition and declared that it was going to crash. Flight tracking data from ADS-B Exchange recorded a loss of 27,000 feet in roughly one minute before the signal was lost.

The jet struck the ground at a steep angle near Military Trail between Cresthaven Boulevard and 10th Avenue North in Greenacres. The impact created a large crater beside the busy road. Flames flickered around chunks of pavement lining the crater, and thick black smoke covered the site.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis visited the scene and described the event as a cataclysmic plane crash. He told reporters the jet appeared to fall like a missile and noted that no people on the ground had been reported killed or injured at the time of his news conference. DeSantis praised the quick response of local first responders and acknowledged the tragedy.

Resident Anthony Blackmon, who was about 500 feet from the crash site, said debris hit his house and that everything caught fire. He said he had always seen such events on the news and never thought one would happen so close. Another resident, Roger Forcelle, felt the aircraft pass over his home, shaking the house before it crashed probably less than half a mile away. Andrew Mannino told CNN he heard and felt the boom and that the power immediately went out and was still out.

About 600 residents of a nearby mobile home community were required to leave their homes on Sunday night. The crash scene blocks the entrance to the park and is being treated as a crime scene while federal investigators work, county officials said. No official has alleged that a crime took place. Palm Beach County Commissioner Joel Flores stated that residents were being sent to two county shelters and that the Red Cross was standing by. Palm Tran buses were staged to transport those needing relocation once law enforcement cleared the way.

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 commissioner warned the road could remain closed for an extended period because of the crater, and officials said the timeline also depends on the federal investigation.

The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation and said Sunday it was launching a go-team. Investigators were expected to arrive Sunday and Monday morning, and the NTSB planned a media briefing in West Palm Beach on Monday. No cause for the crash has been determined.

Mary Schiavo, a former inspector general of the U.S. Transportation Department, said the descent was not controlled and that it was clear they 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 remains unknown if the jet carried a cockpit voice recorder, as FAA rules only require them for multi-engine jets flown for hire, though this aircraft was listed for charter.

CNN reported that scattered storms were in the area and the jet passed through a stronger storm cell a few minutes before it began to descend. The FAA had issued a convective SIGMET for the region, warning of thunderstorms that threaten aircraft. The National Weather Service had a flood watch in effect through Monday afternoon due to heavy rain in the region.

The crashed aircraft is registered as N722BD, a Learjet 60 owned by LR60271 LLC of Wilmington, Delaware. Flight Safety Foundation data identifies this as the deadliest crash ever involving a Learjet 60. It is the second deadliest aviation accident in the United States this year, following a skydiving plane crash in Butler, Missouri, that killed 12 people in June.

Learjet, a brand known for its popularity with wealthy travelers in the 1960s, was last manufactured by Bombardier, which ceased production of new models in 2021 but continues to support the existing fleet. The jet was listed online as available for charter flights, though officials have not confirmed who operated the specific Sunday flight.