Nine killed in Learjet crash near Palm Beach County road

Residents in Greenacres, Florida, faced a sudden disruption to their Sunday afternoon as a private jet crashed near a busy roadway, killing all nine people on board. Palm Beach County authorities confirmed that approximately 600 people were evacuated from a nearby mobile home community while federal investigators examined the site. The accident occurred in a city with a population of 45,000, located about seven miles southwest of West Palm Beach.

The Learjet 60 struck the ground at 12:50 p.m. on Sunday, creating a large crater and a fireball that nearly missed nearby houses. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy described the incident as a horrific tragedy in a post on X. He stated that the Federal Aviation Administration would send a team to assist the National Transportation Safety Board, which is leading the investigation. The road where the jet landed remains closed until further notice.

Air traffic control recordings indicate the plane was traveling east at an altitude of 35,000 feet when the pilots reported icing, turbulence, and precipitation. The pilot requested to climb an additional 2,000 feet. Minutes later, the aircraft entered a steep dive, losing altitude at rates that reached 30,000 feet per minute, a speed that exceeded the plane's design limits. The jet banked sharply to the right before impacting the ground.

The pilot declared an emergency and communicated the rapid loss of altitude to controllers. "We're descending 8,000.. mayday, mayday.. we're descending 10,000 feet per minute," the pilot radioed. The pilot later reported an overspeed condition with a descent rate of 20,000 feet per minute. The final transmission acknowledged the impending impact: "We're going to crash into the ground."

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis visited the scene and reported that there were no immediate injuries or deaths among people on the ground. He described the event as a cataclysmic plane crash that looked like a missile descending. Jim Reynolds, a spokesperson for Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, confirmed the jet was a private aircraft. The plane had departed from that airport in Texas and was bound for the Bahamas. Authorities have not yet released the names of the victims.

The National Weather Service had a flood watch in effect for the region due to excessive rainfall, which continued through Monday afternoon. Rain was falling at the time of the crash. Steve Arroyo, an aviation safety expert, noted that icing and turbulence could have contributed to the accident, potentially causing the plane to stall while cruising. Investigators will examine all factors, including the pilot's response to the weather conditions, but no cause will be ruled out in the early stages.

NTSB investigators arrived at the site on Sunday and Monday. A media briefing is scheduled for Monday in West Palm Beach. The crash site is marked by a crater, with chunks of pavement and thick black smoke lingering in the area. Residents expressed shock that the aircraft landed only feet from homes and inches from passing vehicles on the roadway.