DeSantis says Palm Beach Learjet looked like missile coming down after crash killed 9

A private Learjet 60 crashed into a residential neighborhood in Palm Beach County, Florida, on Sunday, killing all nine people on board. The aircraft struck the ground near a major roadway in the city of Greenacres and exploded upon impact. U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed the death toll in a social media post, describing the event as a horrific tragedy. The Federal Aviation Administration stated that the jet collided with the earth at approximately 12:50 p.m. Eastern Time.

The jet had departed Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas earlier that day. It was scheduled to land at North Eleuthera Airport in the Bahamas. The FAA initially reported nine individuals aboard the aircraft and labeled that figure as preliminary. Officials had not released the names of the victims or specified how many were crew members versus passengers as of Sunday evening. Jim Reynolds, a spokesperson for Austin-Bergstrom, said that the jet was a private aircraft. He said he could not say who was on the flight and called the crash definitely a tragedy.

The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office said the jet came down near Military Trail, between Cresthaven Boulevard and 10th Avenue North. Greenacres has a population of approximately 45,000 and sits about seven miles southwest of West Palm Beach. The crash site is roughly four miles south of the airport in West Palm Beach, which was renamed President Donald J. Trump International Airport earlier this year. CNN reported that President Trump was in West Palm Beach earlier on Sunday and left the airport on Air Force One a little more than an hour before the Learjet crashed.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis visited the scene and spoke to reporters about the severity of the impact. He described the jet as looking like a missile coming down. DeSantis noted that the crash left a large crater on the side of the road. He stated that there were no initial reports of anyone on the ground being killed or injured. The governor praised local first responders for their rapid reaction. He also mentioned that the debris field extended over a long distance.

Witnesses in nearby vehicles recorded video of the jet falling from the sky. The footage shows the plane striking near the roadway and erupting in flames. Chunks of pavement lined the crater, which was feet away from houses and inches from passing cars. Thick black smoke rose from the site. Video from WPBF showed the asphalt buckled where the jet impacted the road.

Anthony Blackmon, a resident about 500 feet from the crash, described the scene to NBC 6. He said debris hit his house and that everything was on fire. Blackmon noted that the road itself was ablaze. He said he had never thought an event like that would happen so close to his home. Roger Forcelle stated that he felt the aircraft pass over his property. He reported that the house shook and that the jet crashed probably less than half a mile from where he lived. Neighbors came outside because the shaking was noticeable.

Andrew Mannino said that he heard and felt the boom. The power went out immediately and was still out. He smelled smoke and saw a large black cloud rise into the air. Another witness described the aftermath as looking like a meteor had hit the ground. A woman working nearby said the electricity had been out for about two hours.

About 600 residents in a nearby mobile home community were forced to leave their homes on Sunday night. County officials said the crash scene blocks the entrance to the park. The site is being treated as a crime scene while federal investigators work. No official has alleged that a crime occurred. Palm Beach County Commissioner Joel Flores, who represents District 3, was the first county official at the scene. He said residents were being moved to two county shelters. Flores noted that the Red Cross was standing by and that Palm Tran buses were ready to transport residents once law enforcement allowed the evacuation.

County officials closed Military Trail between 10th Avenue North and Purdy Lane/Alameda Drive until further notice. The road remains open only to emergency vehicles. Drivers were directed to use 10th Avenue North and Purdy Lane/Alameda Drive for east-west travel. Haverhill Road and Kirk Road were recommended for north-south travel. A county commissioner warned that parts of the road could stay closed for an extended period due to the crater. Officials said the timeline for reopening also depends on the federal investigation.

Air traffic control recordings and flight tracking data provide a timeline of the flight. The jet was flying east at about 35,000 feet when the pilots reported turbulence, icing, and precipitation. They requested permission to climb 2,000 feet. Minutes before the crash, the pilot told the Miami Air Route Traffic Control Center that they had light, clear ice that was manageable and moderate turbulence. The pilot also reported an outside air temperature of minus 47 degrees Celsius. The turbulence was bouncing the jet by as much as 700 feet, according to the recording captured by LiveATC.net.

After the pilots reported precipitation, the descent began rapidly. The pilot radioed that they were descending 8,000. He then declared a mayday and reported a descent rate of 10,000 feet per minute. The pilot stated that the aircraft was in an overspeed condition descending at 20,000 feet per minute. He then said the jet was going to crash into the ground. CBS News reported that the pilot also said they were out of time. The descent rate increased to as high as 30,000 feet per minute. This pushed the jet beyond its design limits. The plane banked sharply to the right before hitting the ground at a steep angle, the AP reported.

The FAA said the jet fell from 35,250 feet to 8,750 feet in one minute just before the crash. Flight tracking site ADS-B Exchange showed a drop of 27,000 feet in about a minute before the data cut off, CNN reported. Scattered storms were in the area, and the jet passed through a stronger storm cell a few minutes before it began to descend. The flight was in an area where the FAA had issued a convective SIGMET, a warning of thunderstorms that threaten aircraft. Whether the weather played a part has not been determined. Heavy rain fell across the region on Sunday, and 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 also 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 stated that the descent was not controlled. She said it was clear that whatever happened, they had lost control of the plane. She noted that 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 a cockpit voice recorder only when they are flown for hire. Records show the jet was offered for charter flights. Flight tracking and FAA registry data identify the jet by its registration, N722BD. The FAA registry lists it as a Learjet 60 owned by LR60271 LLC of Wilmington, Delaware. CNN reported the jet is listed online as available for charter. Officials have not said who operated Sunday's flight. The 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, the brand that Bill Lear's Lear 23 made famous with wealthy travelers in the 1960s, was most recently built by Canadian manufacturer Bombardier. Bombardier stopped making new Learjets in 2021 but still supports the planes in service. The NTSB is leading the investigation and said Sunday it was launching a go-team. Investigators were expected to arrive on Sunday and Monday morning. The NTSB planned a media briefing in West Palm Beach on Monday. No cause has been determined.