Learjet 60 Plunges About 27,000 Feet, Killing Nine in Palm Beach County

The aircraft dropped about 27,000 feet in about a minute, according to flight tracking data, before striking the ground in a residential neighborhood in Palm Beach County, Florida, killing all nine people on board. U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed the deaths Sunday, November 1, describing the incident as a horrific tragedy. The Federal Aviation Administration stated the Learjet 60 crashed at approximately 12:50 p.m. Eastern time. The jet had departed Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas and was en route to North Eleuthera Airport in the Bahamas.

The crash site is located near Military Trail, between Cresthaven Boulevard and 10th Avenue North in Greenacres. This city of approximately 45,000 residents sits about seven miles southwest of West Palm Beach. The site is roughly four miles south of the local airport, which was renamed President Donald J. Trump International Airport earlier this year. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis visited the scene and described the impact to reporters. He said the jet looked like a missile going down and left a large crater on the side of the road. DeSantis noted that no one on the ground was reported killed or injured at the time of his news conference. He praised local first responders for their rapid response and stated that the debris field stretched a long distance.

Air traffic control recordings and flight tracking data provide a detailed account of the final moments. The jet was flying east at about 35,000 feet when the pilots reported turbulence, icing, and precipitation. They requested clearance 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 and moderate turbulence. The pilot also reported an outside air temperature of minus 47 degrees Celsius. According to recordings captured by LiveATC.net, turbulence was bouncing the aircraft by up to 700 feet.

The situation changed rapidly after the pilots reported precipitation. The pilot radioed that they were descending 10,000 feet per minute in a mayday situation. The pilot then declared an overspeed condition with a descent rate of 20,000 feet per minute. The pilot stated, We're going to crash into the ground. CBS News reported that the pilot also said, We're out of time. The descent rate accelerated from 10,000 to 20,000 and then to 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 FAA said the jet fell from 35,250 feet to 8,750 feet in one minute. Flight tracking site ADS-B Exchange showed a drop of 27,000 feet before the data signal cut off.

Weather conditions in the area included scattered storms. The jet passed through a stronger storm cell a few minutes before the descent began. The FAA had issued a convective SIGMET, a warning of thunderstorms that threaten aircraft, in the area where the flight was. Heavy rain fell across the region on Sunday, and the National Weather Service had a flood watch in effect through Monday afternoon. Whether the weather played a part in the crash has not been determined. The NTSB issued a safety alert on in-flight icing in January 2024. The alert warned that ice can make managing the airplane's flightpath and airspeed more difficult and can prevent the airplane from maintaining level flight.

Video recorded by people in nearby cars captured the jet plunging from the sky. The aircraft struck near the roadway and exploded. Flames flickered around chunks of pavement lining the crater, which was only feet from homes. Thick black smoke covered the site. Video from WPBF showed the road buckled where the jet hit it. Anthony Blackmon, a nearby resident about 500 feet from the crash, said 6 that debris was everywhere. He said debris hit his house and everything was on fire, including the road. Blackmon stated that he had always seen such events on the news and never thought it would happen so close. Roger Forcelle said he felt the aircraft pass over his home. He said it shook the whole house and crashed probably less than half a mile from where he lives. Andrew Mannino said that he heard and felt the boom. He said the power immediately went out and was still out. A woman working nearby said the electricity had been out for about two hours. He smelled smoke and saw a large black cloud rise into the air. Another witness said the scene looked like a meteor hit the ground.

Palm Beach County officials treated the crash scene as a crime scene while federal investigators worked the area. About 600 people in a nearby mobile home community had to leave their homes Sunday night. The crash scene blocks the entrance to the mobile home park. County officials said residents were being sent to two county shelters. Palm Beach County Commissioner Joel Flores, who represents District 3, was the first county official at the scene. Flores said he had to ensure that about 600 people had shelter that night. He said the Red Cross was standing by and Palm Tran buses were ready to carry residents once law enforcement allowed the evacuation. No official has alleged that a crime took place.

Palm Beach County closed Military Trail between 10th Avenue North and Purdy Lane and Alameda Drive until further notice. The road was open only to emergency vehicles. The county told drivers to use 10th Avenue North and Purdy Lane and Alameda Drive for east-west travel. It recommended Haverhill Road and Kirk Road for north-south travel. A county commissioner warned that parts of the road could stay closed for an extended time because of the crater. Officials said the timeline also depends on the federal investigation.

The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation. The agency said it was launching a go-team and expected investigators to arrive on Sunday and Monday morning. The NTSB planned a media briefing in West Palm Beach on Monday. No cause has been determined. Jim Reynolds, a spokesperson for Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, said the jet was a private aircraft. He said the airport could not say who was on the flight. Reynolds called the event definitely a tragedy.

Flight tracking and FAA registry data identify the jet by its registration, N722BD. The FAA registry lists the aircraft 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. 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. Schiavo said it was clear that the pilots had lost control of the plane. She said the steep dive could have torn parts off the plane. 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 one only when they are flown for hire. Records show the jet was offered for charter flights.

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 it is the second deadliest crash in the United States this year. A skydiving plane crash in Butler, Missouri, in June killed 12 people. Learjet was most recently built by Canadian manufacturer Bombardier. The company stopped making new Learjets in 2021 but still supports the planes in service.

The investigation continues as federal investigators work. The NTSB planned a media briefing in West Palm Beach on Monday. The road closure on Military Trail remains in place, with officials citing the crater and the federal investigation as reasons it could last an extended time.