Nine people aboard a Learjet 60 business jet were killed on Sunday afternoon when the aircraft crashed into a South Florida neighborhood and erupted in flames, federal and state officials said.
Why it matters: the crash, in a residential area beside a busy roadway, narrowly avoided causing casualties on the ground, forced about 600 residents from nearby homes, and has opened a federal investigation into what sent a Bahamas-bound jet into a steep dive in its final minute of flight.
United States Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed the deaths in a post on X shortly before 4 p.m. Eastern time on Sunday. “Today’s plane crash in Palm Beach County, Florida is a horrific tragedy,” Duffy wrote, adding: “Please join me in praying for the families and loved ones of those we lost.”
The Federal Aviation Administration said the Learjet 60 crashed at about 12:50 p.m. Eastern time in a residential area near Cresthaven, in the area of Military Trail and 10th Avenue North, near Greenacres in Palm Beach County. The aircraft had departed Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas and was headed to North Eleuthera Airport in the Bahamas, according to the FAA.
Witness video and early official accounts described the jet nose-diving toward the ground before striking near the roadway and bursting into a fireball. USA Today reported that the crash sparked several fires, scattered debris across a wide area and caused extensive damage. The Palm Beach Post reported major destruction at the scene, including fires and scattered debris.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said there were no immediate reports of anyone on the ground being injured or killed. That account was repeated in Associated Press reporting on Sunday evening, which also said the fireball appeared to just miss nearby homes.
Palm Beach County authorities closed all lanes of Military Trail in the area of Cresthaven Boulevard and 10th Avenue North, according to the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office. County officials evacuated about 600 people from a nearby mobile home community while federal officials investigate the crash, and officials said those residents were expected to be relocated while the investigation continues.
The identities of the nine people on board had not been released by Sunday night. Jim Reynolds, a spokesperson for Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, told the Associated Press that the jet was a private aircraft, but said he could not immediately provide details about who was on the flight.
What the flight record shows so far
Air traffic control recordings and flight tracking data reviewed by the Associated Press show the jet was heading east at 35,000 feet when the pilots reported turbulence, icing and precipitation and asked to climb another 2,000 feet. Flight tracking data also showed a steep descent in the final minute of the flight, according to multiple reports of the tracking record.
Officials have not said what caused the crash, and they have not linked the reported weather conditions to the descent. South Florida was under a flood watch for heavy rain on Sunday, with thunderstorms across the region, according to the National Weather Service, but no official finding on the role of weather has been made.
The FAA said the National Transportation Safety Board will lead the investigation and provide all updates, with the FAA supporting it. Duffy said the FAA was sending a team to the scene to support the NTSB investigation.
The NTSB said on Sunday that it was launching a go-team, with investigators arriving at the site on Sunday and Monday morning. The board said it would hold a media briefing in West Palm Beach on Monday, with the time and location to be announced.
Investigators will now document the wreckage field, recover any available recorders, interview witnesses and collect radar, maintenance and communications data, according to the standard process described in NTSB reporting. A preliminary report is usually released within about 30 days of a crash, while a final finding on the cause often takes a year or more.
Investigation under way
The Learjet 60 is a mid-size business jet manufactured by Bombardier Aerospace in Wichita, Kansas. It first flew in October 1990, received FAA certification in January 1993, and was produced until the late 2000s, according to the aircraft’s published history.
Sunday’s crash is not the only recent United States aviation accident investigated by federal authorities. The NTSB also investigated a separate accident in which two helicopters collided midair near an Oregon airport, killing three people.
What is confirmed is that nine people were aboard the Bahamas-bound jet, that all nine were killed, that no ground casualties had been reported by Sunday night, and that the NTSB is leading the investigation. What is not confirmed is the cause of the crash, the identities of those on board, or whether weather played any part in the descent. No new briefing time had been announced by Sunday night, and investigators had not released any findings.
