A private jet traveling from Austin, Texas, to the Bahamas crashed in Palm Beach County, Florida, on Sunday afternoon, leaving a deep crater and burning wreckage just meters from nearby homes and businesses. All nine people on board were killed, according to authorities.
Video captured from a passing vehicle shows the jet—a Learjet 60—plunging nose-first onto a busy road, followed instantly by an explosion into a fireball.
“It was a catastrophic plane crash,” said Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. “It looked like a missile coming down.”
Before the crash, the pilot calmly reported that ice was accumulating on the aircraft. He noted an outside temperature of -47 degrees Celsius and moderate turbulence, which caused the plane to lurch by as much as 200 meters, according to a recording of air traffic control radio communications captured by LiveATC.net.
“Mayday, mayday,” the pilot told the Miami Air Route Traffic Control Center. “We are descending 3,000 meters (10,000 feet) per minute!”
“We are in an overspeed situation, descending 6,000 meters (20,000 feet) per minute!” he shouted. “We’re going to hit the ground!”
The plane descended 8,230 meters (27,000 feet) in the span of a single minute, just before flight tracking data cut off, according to the website ADS-B Exchange. Authorities have not stated what caused the plane crash, nor have they identified the nine individuals who died or specified how many were passengers versus crew members.
At the time, there were scattered thunderstorms in the area, and the aircraft passed through a more intense storm cell a few minutes before beginning its descent; however, it remains unclear whether the storm contributed to the accident.
A press conference is expected this Monday as officials from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) conduct an investigation.
According to NTSB records, this is the second-deadliest aviation accident in the United States this year, following a crash involving a skydiving plane in Butler, Missouri, in June, which claimed 12 lives. It is also the worst accident involving a Learjet 60, according to data from the Flight Safety Foundation. In 2008, four people died when a Learjet 60 bound for Los Angeles crashed during takeoff in Columbia, South Carolina.
The aircraft struck the ground shortly before 1:00 p.m. on Military Trail—a major thoroughfare located between Cresthaven Boulevard and 10th Avenue North—the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office reported. The roadway was left destroyed, with burning wreckage scattered across a crater, as shown in footage from CNN affiliate WPBF.
“There is a lot of debris scattered as a result of this accident,” said DeSantis.
The scene is located just a few miles from the West Palm Beach airport—recently renamed in honor of President Donald Trump—and his Mar-a-Lago resort. About 600 people are in need of shelter because damage at the scene is blocking the entrance to a mobile home park, said Joel Flores, Palm Beach County District 3 Commissioner, who was the first county official to arrive at the site. Residents are being directed to two county shelters while the site is being investigated, he noted.
Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy described the accident as a “horrendous tragedy.”
