Nine Killed as Learjet 60 Bound for the Bahamas Crashes in Palm Beach County, Florida

All nine people aboard a private Learjet 60 were killed when the business jet crashed in Greenacres, Palm Beach County, Florida, on Sunday, 1 November, US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said.

What happened

The jet had taken off from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas and was heading for the Bahamas, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. It came down at about 12:50 pm local time near a busy road and close to homes, around 7 miles southwest of West Palm Beach.

Air traffic recordings and flight-tracking data show the jet was cruising east at 35,000 feet when the pilots reported turbulence, icing and precipitation and asked to climb a further 2,000 feet. The aircraft then went into a steep dive, with descent rates reported as high as 30,000 feet a minute, far beyond its design limits. The pilot declared an emergency before the plane banked sharply right and crashed.

On the ground

Governor Ron DeSantis called it a “cataclysmic” crash and said there were no immediate reports of anyone on the ground being killed or injured. About 600 residents of a nearby mobile home community were evacuated and the road was closed.

Investigation

The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation with FAA support. The cause has not been established, and the names of those on board had not been released at the time of writing.

Featured image: A Learjet 60 business jet in flight (file photo, not the crashed aircraft). Photo: Lars Henseleit (Lhensele at de.wikipedia), Public domain (source).

Sources

• All 9 people aboard a jet that crashed in Florida have died – PBS NewsHour (AP)