Nine killed as Austin-to-Bahamas business jet crashes in Palm Beach County

All nine people aboard a Learjet 60 bound for the Bahamas were killed Sunday when the plane went down beside a roadway in a Palm Beach County, Florida, neighborhood, according to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, as reported by the Associated Press through PBS NewsHour and other outlets.

Duffy said on X that the crash happened at 12:50 p.m. and described it as a "horrific tragedy," PBS NewsHour reported. He said the Federal Aviation Administration was sending a team to assist the National Transportation Safety Board, which is leading the investigation.

The jet had taken off from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas, according to the FAA. Texas Public Radio reported that an airport spokesperson confirmed the deaths. Airport spokesperson Jim Reynolds said it was a private aircraft but could not immediately say who was aboard, the Anchorage Daily News reported. Authorities had not identified the victims or a cause.

Outlets described the location differently. The Philadelphia Inquirer and PBS NewsHour, citing Palm Beach County sheriff's officials, reported that the crash was in Greenacres, a city of about 45,000 roughly 7 miles southwest of West Palm Beach. Texas Public Radio placed it near Cresthaven.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said there were no immediate reports of injuries or deaths on the ground, according to the Anchorage Daily News. "It looked like a missile going down and left a big crater on the side of the road," DeSantis told reporters at the scene.

Drivers recorded video of the jet falling and bursting into flames close to homes and moving traffic, the AP reported. The impact left a crater along the road, and heavy black smoke rose over the site.

According to air traffic control recordings and flight tracking data cited by the AP, the plane was flying east at 35,000 feet when the crew reported turbulence, icing and precipitation and asked to climb 2,000 feet. The pilot had earlier told controllers the ice was manageable and the turbulence moderate, according to recordings captured by LiveATC.net.

Shortly afterward, the jet began a rapid descent that reached as much as 30,000 feet per minute, exceeding its design limits, the AP reported. The pilot declared an emergency, issued mayday calls, reported an overspeed condition and told controllers the plane was going to hit the ground. The aircraft turned sharply right before striking the ground at a steep angle.

Heavy rain fell across the region Sunday, and the National Weather Service had a flood watch in effect through Monday afternoon, the AP reported.

County officials were evacuating about 600 residents of a nearby mobile home community during the federal investigation, and the road was to remain closed until further notice, according to the Anchorage Daily News.

Compiled by True News from reporting by Anchorage Daily News, Texas Public Radio, The Philadelphia Inquirer and PBS NewsHour. Each outlet's original story is linked below.

Originally published by True News: https://truenews.bagleyenterprises.net/stories/677