World

Business Jet Crashes Near Florida Roadway, Killing All Nine Onboard

By Aastha Jha

Videos taken by motorists show a Learjet 60 carrying nine people plunge from the sky and explode near a busy roadway in Greenacres, Palm Beach County, Florida, on Sunday. All nine aboard were killed, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said, citing the Associated Press. The aircraft, bound for the Bahamas, crashed close to homes and passing vehicles, leaving a large crater on the roadside and producing flames and thick black smoke. Air‑traffic‑control recordings reveal the pilot’s final moments. Initially the pilot reported light, clear ice that was manageable and moderate turbulence. After encountering precipitation, the pilot requested permission to climb 2,000 feet, but the jet began losing altitude rapidly. The pilot declared an emergency, saying, “We’re descending 8,000 – mayday, mayday – we’re descending 10,000 feet per minute.” Later the pilot reported an overspeed condition, stating, “We are in an overspeed condition descending 20,000 feet per minute,” and added, “We’re going to crash into the ground.” Flight‑tracking data show the aircraft was flying east at 35,000 feet when it encountered turbulence, icing and precipitation, then entered a steep dive with a descent rate of 30,000 feet per minute. Duffy said the Learjet crashed at 12:50 p.m. and described the incident as a “horrific tragedy.” The Federal Aviation Administration is sending a team to assist the National Transportation Safety Board with the investigation. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said there were no immediate reports of injuries or deaths among people on the ground. “It was a cataclysmic plane crash,” DeSantis told reporters at the scene. “It looked like a missile going down and left a big crater on the side of the road.” Authorities evacuated about 600 people from a nearby mobile‑home community as a precaution, and the road was closed until further notice. The aircraft had taken off from Austin‑Bergstrom International Airport in Texas and was headed to the Bahamas, the FAA said. The identities of those aboard and the exact cause of the crash were not immediately known. The crash occurred while heavy rain battered the region, with a flood watch in effect until Monday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service.