Palm Beach County Crash: Nine Killed in Learjet Descent

All nine people aboard a Learjet 60 business jet died on Sunday, November 1, when the aircraft crashed into a neighborhood in Palm Beach County, Florida. U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said all nine were killed and called the crash a "horrific tragedy" in a post on X. The Federal Aviation Administration reported the crash occurred at approximately 12:50 p.m. Eastern time. The jet was traveling from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas to North Eleuthera Airport in the Bahamas.

The crash site is located in Greenacres, a city of roughly 45,000 residents situated about seven miles southwest of West Palm Beach. Officials placed the impact near Military Trail, between Cresthaven Boulevard and 10th Avenue North. This area is approximately four miles south of the President Donald J. Trump International Airport. No ground fatalities or injuries were reported at the time of the governor's news conference, though the debris field stretched a significant distance from the impact point.

The sequence of events began while the jet was flying east at an altitude of about 35,000 feet. Air traffic control recordings indicate the pilots reported turbulence, icing, and precipitation. They requested a climb of 2,000 feet and noted manageable light clear ice and moderate turbulence. The pilot also cited an outside air temperature of minus 47 degrees Celsius and vertical turbulence of up to 700 feet. The situation deteriorated rapidly after these reports.

The pilot radioed, "We're descending 8,000, mayday, mayday, we're descending 10,000 feet per minute." The pilot then reported an overspeed condition descending 20,000 feet per minute, and the AP reported the descent rate reached as high as 30,000 feet per minute. The pilot then said they were going to crash into the ground, and CBS News reported the pilot also said they were out of time. Flight tracking data from ADS-B Exchange showed the jet dropped 27,000 feet in about one minute before the signal was lost.

The FAA stated the aircraft fell from 35,250 feet to 8,750 feet in the final minute of flight. The jet banked sharply to the right before striking the ground at a steep angle. The impact created a crater on the side of the road, which was only feet from homes and inches from passing vehicles. Video recorded by witnesses showed the jet plunging from the sky and exploding near the roadway, with thick black smoke rising from the site.

Local residents described the immediate aftermath in vivid detail. Anthony Blackmon, who said he was about 500 feet from the crash, said debris hit his house and the road was on fire. Roger Forcelle said he felt the aircraft pass over his home, shaking the house, and that it crashed probably less than half a mile from where he lives. Andrew Mannino stated that the power went out immediately and he smelled smoke while observing a large black cloud. Another witness compared the scene to a meteor striking the ground.

CNN reported scattered storms were in the area. The jet passed through a stronger storm cell minutes before its descent. The FAA had issued a convective SIGMET warning of thunderstorms in the region. Whether the weather conditions contributed to the crash has not yet been determined. Heavy rain fell across the region Sunday, with a flood watch in effect through Monday afternoon.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis visited the scene and told reporters the crash looked like a missile going down. He praised local first responders for their rapid response. The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation and said Sunday it was launching a go-team, with investigators expected to arrive Sunday and Monday morning. No cause for the crash has been determined yet. The NTSB planned a media briefing in West Palm Beach on Monday.

Palm Beach County closed Military Trail between 10th Avenue North and Purdy Lane/Alameda Drive to all traffic except emergency vehicles. Drivers were directed to use 10th Avenue North and Purdy Lane/Alameda Drive for east-west travel. A county commissioner warned that parts of the road could stay closed for an extended time because of the crater, and officials said the timeline also depends on the federal investigation. The crash scene is being treated as a crime scene while federal investigators work, though no official has alleged that a crime took place.

About 600 residents in a nearby mobile home community had to leave their homes Sunday night. The crash site blocks the entrance to the park, necessitating the move. County Commissioner Joel Flores, who represents District 3 and was the first county official at the scene, said residents were being sent to two county shelters. The Red Cross stood by to assist, and Palm Tran buses were prepared to transport residents once law enforcement cleared the way.

The aircraft, registration N722BD, is a Learjet 60 owned by LR60271 LLC of Wilmington, Delaware. Records show the jet was listed for charter flights. Jim Reynolds, a spokesperson for Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, confirmed the aircraft was private but could not identify the occupants. The FAA rules require multi-engine jets to carry a cockpit voice recorder only when flown for hire. It is unclear if this jet was equipped with one.

Mary Schiavo, a CNN aviation analyst and former inspector general of the U.S. Transportation Department, said the descent was not controlled and that it was clear they had lost control of the plane. She said the steep dive could have torn parts off the plane and that a flight recorder could have been destroyed in the explosion. She said dashcam video will be important to investigators.

According to Flight Safety Foundation data, this is the deadliest crash involving a Learjet 60. In 2008, four people were killed when a Learjet 60 bound for Los Angeles crashed on takeoff in Columbia, South Carolina. NTSB records indicate this is the second deadliest aviation crash in the United States in 2026, following a skydiving plane crash in Butler, Missouri, in June that killed 12 people. The Learjet brand was most recently built by Bombardier, which stopped making new Learjets in 2021.