Learjet 60 Crashes in South Florida, Killing All Nine On Board
The aircraft, heading from Texas to the Bahamas, plummeted from 35,000 feet after pilots reported severe icing and turbulence.
By Andrew Yang ·
Sunday brought heavy rain to the Palm Beach County area as a business jet descended into a residential neighborhood near Greenacres, Florida. The Learjet 60 struck the ground at 12:50 p.m., creating a large crater and a fireball that narrowly missed nearby homes and a busy roadway. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed that all nine people on board were killed.
Witnesses in passing vehicles recorded the aircraft plunging from the sky. Video footage showed flames flickering around broken pavement and thick black smoke rising from the impact site. Residents described the shock of seeing the wreckage only feet from their properties and inches from moving traffic. The crash left a substantial crater on the side of the road, according to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
DeSantis stated there were no immediate reports of injuries or deaths among people on the ground. He described the event as a cataclysmic plane crash that looked like a missile coming down. The National Weather Service had issued a flood watch for excessive rainfall that remained in effect through Monday afternoon.
The Federal Aviation Administration reported that the jet departed Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas and was bound for the Bahamas. Before the crash, the aircraft was flying east at 35,000 feet. Pilots reported encountering turbulence, icing, and precipitation. They requested to climb an additional 2,000 feet to avoid the weather.
Air traffic control recordings show the plane entered a steep dive shortly after the request. Descent rates accelerated from 10,000 feet per minute to 30,000 feet per minute, exceeding the aircraft's design limits. The pilot declared an emergency and issued distress calls. The jet banked sharply to the right before impacting the ground.
In minutes leading up to the crash, the pilot reported light, clear ice and moderate turbulence. Controllers heard the pilot describe ice that was manageable at first, but the situation deteriorated rapidly. The pilot radioed that they were descending 8,000 feet per minute and declared a mayday. The pilot later reported an overspeed condition while descending 20,000 feet per minute.
The pilot acknowledged the impending impact by radioing that they were going to crash into the ground. Steve Arroyo, an aviation safety expert, noted that icing and turbulence could have caused the plane to stall at its cruising altitude of 34,000 feet. He stated that investigators would consider all potential factors, including the pilot's response to the weather conditions.
Palm Beach County authorities evacuated approximately 600 residents from a mobile home community near the site. The roadway remains closed until further notice. The National Transportation Safety Board sent a team to support the investigation, with a media briefing scheduled for Monday in West Palm Beach. Jim Reynolds, a spokesperson for Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, identified the jet as a private aircraft but did not release names of the passengers or crew.
