Learjet Crash on Florida Road Kills All 9 Aboard as Pilot's Final Calls Cite Ice

A business jet bound for the Bahamas plunged nearly straight down onto a busy road in Palm Beach County, Florida, on Sunday, Nov. 1, killing all nine people aboard and leaving a burning crater a short distance from homes and a mobile home park. Federal investigators were expected to give their first briefing on Monday as about 600 residents displaced by the crash remained out of their homes.

The Learjet 60 went down at about 12:50 p.m. on Military Trail, between Cresthaven Boulevard and 10th Avenue North near Greenacres, according to the Federal Aviation Administration and the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office. The FAA said the aircraft had departed Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas and was headed to North Eleuthera Airport in the Bahamas. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said there were no reports of anyone on the ground being killed or injured, the Associated Press reported.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed on X that everyone on board had died, calling the crash a "horrific tragedy." He added: "Please join me in praying for the families and loved ones of those we lost," according to the BBC. As of Monday morning, authorities had not publicly identified the victims or said how many were passengers and how many were crew, CBS12 and CNN reported.

Final radio calls described ice and turbulence

Air traffic control recordings archived by LiveATC.net captured the jet's final minutes. The plane was flying east at 35,000 feet when the pilot reported icing, turbulence and precipitation and asked to climb another 2,000 feet, the AP reported. "We have light, clear ice that is manageable and moderate turbulence," the pilot told controllers at the Miami Air Route Traffic Control Center.

Moments later the jet entered a steep dive. "We are in an overspeed condition descending 20,000 feet per minute," the pilot radioed, followed by: "We're going to crash into the ground." According to Reuters, as published by Arab News, the last words heard from the cockpit, about 35 seconds after the first mayday call, were "We're out of time." Flight-tracking service Flightradar24 said its data showed the descent rate at one point exceeded 32,000 feet per minute.

Dashcam video shared online showed the aircraft falling almost vertically before exploding into a fireball beside the roadway. "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." He also said, according to Reuters: "When you see that video, it's a jarring thing."

"I heard and felt the boom," Andrew Mannino told CNN. "The power immediately went out and is still out."

Cause not yet determined, experts urge caution

The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation with support from the FAA, and officials have not said what caused the crash. Scattered storms were in the area at the time, and CNN reported that the plane passed through a stronger storm cell a few minutes before it began descending, though it was unclear whether the weather played a role.

Aviation safety expert Steve Arroyo told the AP that icing and turbulence could have been factors and may have caused the plane to stall, but stressed that investigators would not rule anything out at such an early stage, including how the pilot responded to the conditions. Mary Schiavo, a CNN aviation analyst and former Transportation Department inspector general, said the dashcam footage would be important evidence. "That is not a controlled descent," she said. "It's clear, whatever happened, they had lost control of the plane."

Specialist outlet Aviacionline noted that while ice and turbulence are the focus of early attention, there is no confirmation they caused the loss of control, and that it has not been reported whether flight recorders were recovered. The outlet added that the NTSB usually publishes a preliminary report within about 30 days, while a final report with a probable cause typically takes one to two years.

FAA records list the aircraft, tail number N722BD, as registered to LR60271 LLC of Wilmington, Delaware, the Miami Herald reported. The jet, built in 2004, is listed as available for charter online, according to WPBF. An Austin airport spokesperson said it was a private flight and that the airport did not have "access to information regarding passenger and crew identity, aircraft history, ownership and operator of the aircraft." Canada-based manufacturer Bombardier said it would fully support the investigation, according to Reuters.

Displaced residents and a closed road

Palm Beach County Commissioner Joel Flores said the crash left a "massive crater" near the entrance to a mobile home park and that about 600 people were being evacuated and relocated to shelters. Evacuees were moved to the Greenacres Community Center, and nearby John I. Leonard High School was closed Monday, CBS12 reported. Officials said damage to infrastructure, including water lines, meant the road would stay closed for at least 30 days, the BBC reported.

The crash is the second deadliest in the United States this year according to NTSB records, after a skydiving plane crash in Butler, Missouri, killed 12 people in June, and the deadliest ever involving a Learjet 60, according to Flight Safety Foundation data cited by CNN. Bishop Manuel de Jesús Rodríguez of the Diocese of Palm Beach scheduled a memorial Mass for the nine victims on Monday, All Souls' Day, at Our Lady Queen of Peace Cemetery in Royal Palm Beach.