Nine killed as Learjet bound for the Bahamas crashes near busy road in Florida's Palm Beach County
The business jet went into a steep dive after the pilots reported icing and turbulence; about 600 residents were moved out as federal investigators began work.
All nine people on board a Learjet 60 business jet were killed when it crashed near a busy road in a residential part of Palm Beach County, Florida, on Sunday afternoon, local time, US officials said.
The aircraft had taken off from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas and was flying to the Bahamas, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. It came down at about 12:50 pm local time, around 11:20 pm IST, near Military Trail, leaving a crater and a large fireball. No deaths or injuries on the ground were reported in the initial hours.
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Steep dive after icing report
Air traffic control recordings and flight-tracking data cited by US media show that the pilots, cruising at about 35,000 feet, reported icing, turbulence and precipitation and asked to climb. The jet then entered a very steep, rapid descent and the pilot declared an emergency. In a final radio call, the pilot said the plane was going to crash into the ground.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said the crash looked like a missile coming down. US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy called it a horrific tragedy. Authorities had not released the identities of those on board.
Investigation and evacuation
The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation, with an FAA team in support. Officials have not said what caused the crash.
Palm Beach County authorities said about 600 residents of a nearby mobile home community needed shelter because of damage on the ground and were being directed to two county shelters. Military Trail was closed in both directions between Cresthaven Boulevard and 10th Avenue North.
Residents nearby described hearing a powerful explosion, and Palm Beach County Fire Rescue confirmed it was linked to an aircraft incident. Duffy, in a statement posted on X, confirmed that nine people had died. Because the jet came down in a residential area, officials said they were also assessing damage to homes and roads nearby while the NTSB works to establish what went wrong.
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