Nine die as business jet crashes near Florida homes

A private jet carrying nine people plunged into a South Florida neighborhood Sunday, exploding beside a busy road and killing everyone on board. The aircraft came down close to homes and passing vehicles, but officials reported no immediate casualties on the ground.

The Learjet 60 crashed at about 12:50 p.m. in Greenacres, in Palm Beach County, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said. He called it a “horrific tragedy” and said the Federal Aviation Administration was sending staff to support a National Transportation Safety Board investigation.

Videos recorded from cars show the jet descending steeply before it strikes the ground and erupts in a fireball. Footage of the aftermath shows flames around debris and broken pavement, with thick black smoke rising from the site.

“It was a cataclysmic plane crash,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis told reporters at the scene. “It looked like a missile going down and left a big crater on the side of the road.” DeSantis said there were no immediate reports of anyone on the ground being injured or killed.

The jet had left Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas and was bound for the Bahamas, according to the FAA. An airport spokesperson confirmed it was a private aircraft. Authorities had not identified those on board or said what caused the crash.

Before the jet went down, its pilots reported ice, turbulence and precipitation, according to air traffic control recordings described by NPR. The aircraft was heading east at 35,000 feet when the pilots requested permission to climb another 2,000 feet.

“We have light, clear ice that is manageable and moderate turbulence,” a pilot told controllers in a recording captured by LiveATC.net. NPR reported that the pilot had described turbulence jolting the aircraft by as much as 700 feet.

The situation deteriorated quickly. “We’re descending 8,000 – mayday, mayday – we’re descending 10,000 feet per minute,” the pilot radioed. In a later call, the pilot reported an “overspeed condition” and a descent of 20,000 feet per minute, then said, “We’re going to crash into the ground.” NPR reported that flight-tracking data showed the descent rate reached 30,000 feet per minute before the jet banked sharply right and hit the ground.

Rain pounded the region Sunday, and a flood watch was in effect through Monday afternoon, NPR reported. Aviation safety expert Steve Arroyo told NPR that icing and turbulence could have been factors, but said investigators would examine a range of possibilities, including the pilot’s response. No cause has been determined.

Palm Beach County authorities were evacuating about 600 people from a nearby mobile home community while federal officials investigated, NPR reported. County officials said the road would remain closed until further notice. NTSB investigators were expected at the site Sunday and Monday, with a briefing scheduled for Monday in West Palm Beach.