Learjet Plunges Thousands of Feet, Killing All Nine in Palm Beach County Crash

A private business jet fell from the sky into a residential neighborhood in Palm Beach County, Florida, killing all nine people on board on Sunday, November 1. The aircraft, a Learjet 60, struck the ground near Military Trail in Greenacres at approximately 12:50 p.m. Eastern time. The impact created a crater and set the surrounding area on fire. U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed the fatalities in a social media post, describing the event as a horrific tragedy.

Flight tracking and FAA registry data identify the jet as N722BD. It had departed from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas and was heading to North Eleuthera Airport in the Bahamas. The FAA said nine people were on board and called its information preliminary. Officials had not released the names of the victims or clarified how many were passengers and how many were crew members. Jim Reynolds, a spokesperson for the Austin airport, told the Associated Press that the aircraft was private and that he could not identify the individuals on the flight.

Air traffic control recordings provide a timeline of the final moments. The pilots reported encountering turbulence, icing, and precipitation while flying east at about 35,000 feet. They requested a climb of 2,000 feet. Minutes before the crash, the pilot told the Miami Air Route Traffic Control Center: "We have light, clear ice that is manageable and moderate turbulence." The pilot also reported an outside air temperature of minus 47 degrees Celsius. The jet was bouncing by as much as 700 feet during this period.

The situation deteriorated rapidly after the request for a higher altitude. The pilot radioed: "We're descending 8,000, mayday, mayday, we're descending 10,000 feet per minute." The descent rate went from 10,000 feet per minute to 20,000 and then as high as 30,000 feet per minute, the AP reported. The pilot declared an overspeed condition and said the plane was going to crash into the ground. CBS News reported the pilot also said, "We're out of time." Flight tracking data from ADS-B Exchange showed a drop of 27,000 feet in roughly one minute before the signal ended. The FAA said the jet fell from 35,250 feet to 8,750 feet in that single minute.

The jet banked sharply to the right before impacting the ground at a steep angle. Video captured by nearby drivers showed the aircraft plunging from the sky, striking near the roadway, and exploding. Thick black smoke rose from the site, and flames flickered around chunks of pavement. DeSantis said the debris field stretched a long distance. The road surface buckled where the jet hit.

Residents in the immediate vicinity described the violent impact. Anthony Blackmon told NBC 6 he was about 500 feet from the crash and said debris hit his house and the road caught fire. He noted that he had never thought such an event would happen so close to his home. Roger Forcelle felt the aircraft pass over his home, causing the house to shake. He said the jet crashed probably less than half a mile from where he lives. Andrew Mannino told CNN he heard and felt the boom and the power immediately went out. He smelled smoke and saw a large black cloud rise into the air. Another witness described the aftermath as looking like a meteor had hit the ground.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis visited the scene and addressed reporters. He described the crash as cataclysmic, comparing the descent to a missile going down. DeSantis said the impact left a big crater on the side of the road. He reported that there were no initial reports of people on the ground being killed or injured. He praised the quick response of Palm Beach County first responders. The crash occurred about four miles south of the airport in West Palm Beach, which was renamed President Donald J. Trump International Airport earlier this year.

The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation. The agency said Sunday it was launching a go-team, and investigators were expected to arrive Sunday and Monday morning. The NTSB planned a media briefing in West Palm Beach on Monday. No cause for the crash has been determined yet. Mary Schiavo, an aviation analyst and former inspector general for the U.S. Transportation Department, stated that the descent was not controlled. She said the crew had lost control of the plane at that point. She noted that the steep dive could have torn parts off the aircraft and that a flight recorder might have been destroyed in the explosion.

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

Palm Beach County closed Military Trail between 10th Avenue North and Purdy Lane/Alameda Drive. The road is open only to emergency vehicles. Drivers were directed to use 10th Avenue North and Purdy Lane/Alameda Drive for east-west travel, and Haverhill Road and Kirk Road for north-south travel. A county commissioner warned that parts of the road could remain closed for an extended time due to the crater. The timeline for reopening depends on the progress of the federal investigation.

Scattered storms were present in the area when the jet crashed. The aircraft passed through a stronger storm cell a few minutes before the descent began. The FAA had issued a convective SIGMET, a warning for thunderstorms that threaten aircraft, for the region. Heavy rain fell across the area on Sunday, and the National Weather Service had a flood watch in effect through Monday afternoon. The NTSB issued a safety alert on in-flight icing in January 2024, warning that ice can make managing the airplane's flightpath and airspeed more difficult.

The crash is the deadliest ever involving a Learjet 60, according to data from the Flight Safety Foundation. In 2008, four people were killed when a Learjet 60 bound for Los Angeles crashed on takeoff in Columbia, South Carolina. This incident is the second deadliest crash in the United States this year, following a skydiving plane crash in Butler, Missouri, in June that killed 12 people. Learjet was most recently built by Canadian manufacturer Bombardier, which stopped making new Learjets in 2021 but still supports the planes in service. The FAA registry lists the jet as owned by LR60271 LLC of Wilmington, Delaware, and CNN reported it is listed online as available for charter.