Nine Dead After Private Jet Plunges Into Palm Beach County Roadway
A Learjet 60 broke apart in a fireball near a busy road in Greenacres, Florida, killing everyone on board.
By Harvey Wilson ·
Nine people died when a private jet crashed into a residential area in South Florida on Sunday.
The aircraft, a Learjet 60, struck the ground near a busy roadway in Palm Beach County at 12:50 p.m. It erupted into a large fireball that left a crater in the pavement. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed the fatalities in a post on social media.
The jet had departed Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas with a destination of the Bahamas. It was flying east at an altitude of 35,000 feet when the pilots reported encountering turbulence, icing, and precipitation. They requested permission to climb an additional 2,000 feet.
Moments later, the plane began a steep descent. Air traffic control recordings show the aircraft losing altitude at rates of 10,000, 20,000, and finally 30,000 feet per minute. This speed pushed the jet beyond its design limits. The pilot declared an emergency and banked sharply to the right before impact.
Radio communications captured by LiveATC.net show the pilot describing light ice and moderate turbulence shortly before the crash. The pilot later stated the aircraft was in an overspeed condition and descending at 20,000 feet per minute. The pilot then acknowledged the inevitable fate of the plane.
“We’re going to crash into the ground,” the pilot radioed to controllers.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis visited the scene and described the event as a cataclysmic plane crash. He said no one on the ground was immediately reported as injured or killed. DeSantis noted the crash left a large crater on the side of the road.
Rain was falling in the region during the incident. A flood watch due to excessive rainfall remained in effect through Monday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service. The crash site is in Greenacres, a city of 45,000 people located about 7 miles southwest of West Palm Beach.
Palm Beach County authorities evacuated approximately 600 residents from a nearby mobile home community. The roadway near the crash site remains closed. Steve Arroyo, an aviation safety expert, suggested that icing and turbulence may have caused the plane to stall at its cruising altitude of 34,000 feet.
The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation, with support from the Federal Aviation Administration. NTSB investigators arrived at the site on Sunday and Monday. A media briefing is scheduled for Monday in West Palm Beach.
